Mend the Broken Spirit
by Fangirl Forevz
Summary: Tony Zucco meant to kill all three Flying Graysons, so it came to a surprise when one of them managed to not die. But instead of murdering the brat, he decides to do something much worse- he keeps him. Two years later, when Batman comes along and saves Richard Grayson and decides to take him in, will Dick have faith in him? Or has his faith in humanity already been shattered?
1. Savior in a Cloak of Darkness

**AN: Warning- this story gets pretty dark as it develops. This is not a place for people who want to read a happy story.**

 **For those of you who don't care how bad it is... Enjoy! And see you at the end.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Batman, Young Justice, or anything DC related. If I did, YJ's season two would be a** ** _totally_** **different story.**

 **Also: I am in no way, shape, or form trying to glorify child abuse. That is a serious matter that should never be taken lightly.**

xXx

"Richard! Get out here, now!"

Dick's eyes flew open, and he quickly scrambled out of the pile of clothes he used as a bed. It was pitch black in the small laundry room he stayed in, but his vision had adjusted to it over a year ago. After all, the only time he had any freedom was when the sun was down, so he took advantage of it at all times.

He looked at the small beam of light that shone under his door, and gulped. If Tony was in the kitchen and saw what he did, he was screwed...

" _Richard_."

Okay, he was already screwed. He might as well get it over with. Dick wrapped a blanket around himself and crept over to the door, pulling it open swiftly. His eyes immediately squinted against the lighting, and his grip on his blanket tightened when a man with greasy hair came toward him.

"Did you eat the sandwich I had in the fridge?" Tony demanded, glaring down at the shaking boy in front of him. Dick frantically shook his head in response, but Tony was able to spot the lie from a mile away. "You little brat! I was going to eat that when I got home from work!" He grabbed Dick by the neck and shoved him against the wall, ignoring the pained squeak the boy made. "I let you live, boy. Or did you forget that?" He reached into his jeans and brought out his pocket knife, waving it threateningly. "If you keep this up, you'll be joining your parents. Understand?"

Dick forced himself to nod, his eyes filled with frightened tears. Tony's rule was that if he ate without his permission, then he would undoubtedly be punished. But this time, Dick couldn't stop himself. Tony hardly ever gave him food, and he _assumed_ that he wouldn't notice if a couple of bites of a sandwich went missing... But since he did, Dick could only expect a terrible punishment.

"... Hn. You're lucky I'm in a good mood, kid." Tony lowered his knife and took a step back. "I'll make your punishment light this time. Have the house and car spotless by tomorrow morning, and you are not allowed to have food for the next two days."

Dick's eyes widened. That was it? The last time he stole food, Tony broke his ribs, gave him a black eye, and made him stay in the attic for an entire week without any food. Not only was it absolutely freezing in there, but it was a small space infested with spiders, rats, and the occasional bat. After that experience, Dick developed a phobia of small spaces, but at least he was still alive.

Not that Tony would let him die... He wasn't _that_ merciful.

"Not even a thank you? I don't know why I even bother." Tony rolled his eyes and shoved him out of the way as he left the room. Dick easily lost his balance and fell onto the floor, his blanket falling and leaving him with only raggedy clothes to keep him warm. He bristled and picked himself off, brushing the dust off of his beloved blanket. That was the one thing that made him feel safe in the hell he was trapped in, and he wasn't going to let Tony ruin that too.

Well, it was time to clean.

Dick brought his blanket around his shoulders and began to pick up the discarded beer bottles scattered around the kitchen. He shoved them in the nearest trash bin and moved on to the mountain of plates on the floor, grimacing at the ants that crawled all over them. Well... He asked for this when he ate Tony's food. He should have known better.

 _"My parents wouldn't have made me do this,"_ he thought to himself with an inaudible sigh as he dumped the rotting food into the trash bin before transferring the plates to the sink. _"They wouldn't hit me either."_ He frowned at the stack of dishes he had to clean, and glanced at the clock. It was eight at night. If Dick wanted to have everything done by morning, he would have to stay up until an ungodly hour at night.

He sighed. No use complaining... He had work to do.

xXx

A couple of hours later, Dick could say he successfully cleaned the kitchen and the laundry room. All that was left was the bathroom, living room, and Tony's bedroom. That would probably take three more hours, and the car would take one more... Dick looked at the clock again. Midnight. Great, he would done just before five in the morning. That gave him roughly one hour to explore the city on his own.

The front door flew open. "I see the house isn't clean." The sound of the door slamming shut made Dick nearly jump out of his skin. "And I bet my car isn't done yet either, is it?"

"..." Dick's eyes swiveled over to the kitchen clock again, more confused than anything. Tony gave him until morn-

Oh.

 _Oh._

It was midnight, which was technically morning.

Tony stormed over to him and grabbed him by the wrists. "I gave you one simple order, so what have you been doing this entire time?!"

Dick attempted to yank his arms out of the man's grasp, but Tony only tightened his grip in response, digging his fingernails into Dick's wrists hard enough to draw blood. Dick bit his lip to stop himself from crying out in pain, though tears still managed to come back to his eyes. _This_ punishment would be much worse than the last, he knew.

Tony let out a drawn out sigh and released his grip. "I hate to do this to you, but you have to learn obedience." He ran a hand through Dick's hair, making shivers run down his back. He didn't want Tony using any affectionate gestures towards him; that only made it scarier. "Hm. I think you could use a few smacks with the belt first."

Dick closed his eyes tightly as Tony let him go completely to undo his belt, his heart beating loudly in his chest. "Lift up your shirt. I'm going to get your back this time." Dick gulped but obeyed, slowly pulling his shirt above his head and letting it fall to the floor next to him. Tony immediately grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around. "Let's see if I can draw blood this time," he said with an audible smirk, before bringing the belt back.

Dick screamed.

xXx

The lighting in the sky lit up the city of Gotham, briefly revealing a boy curled up in a ball besides his backyard shed. Dick was soaked to the bone with water, but the shed had a padlock preventing him from seeking shelter. His arms were wrapped around his shaking frame in a futile attempt to give himself warmth.

Everything hurt.

Tony lashed at his back until he was an incoherent and bleeding mess on the floor. After that, Dick remembered a blur of pain; kicks to the side, tufts of his hair pulled out, and a broken nose. Tony then pulled out some of his weakest acid his company made, and splashed it on Dick's arms. Now, Dick's throat was raw from how much screaming he did, and it hurt almost as much as the rest of his body.

He was so tired...

The next few hours were hazy. He slipped in and out of unconsciousness, too cold to settle for too long, but so injured that his body wanted to do nothing else but rest. His mind became a muddled mess that could only focus on his injuries, as though thinking about them would make the pain bearable. After a few hours of this repetitive cycle of passing out and coming to, a familiar feeling of helplessness fell upon him. All he wanted was for this all to end; whether it was from death or being rescued, he did not care. The only thing that he desperately wanted was to get away from Tony.

His eyes fluttered as a raindrop fell on his nose, and he took in a deep, shuttering breath before letting himself drown in the haze again...

"... Alfred, I found a small boy in the backyard." A deep voice suddenly said to his right, and he forced his eyes open. He couldn't see anything in front of him through the darkness, but he could barely make out the figure of a man. His heartbeat sped up in his chest- was this a friend or a foe? "Wait. He's alive." The dead leaves on the ground crunched beneath the man's feet as he came closer, and Dick instinctively squeezed his eyes shut in preparation for an attack. But it never came.

After a few seconds of silence, Dick slowly opened his eyes and forced himself to look up at the man. He was just standing there, his head angled in a way that looked like he was studying him. "... He needs medical attention right away. I need you to call an ambulance." Who the man was talking to, Dick wasn't sure, but he didn't sound like he meant him any harm. Dick slowly began to sit up, but the man knelt down to keep him in place within seconds. "Don't move. You might make your injuries worse if you do." Dick frowned but complied, letting his back fall back onto the cold grass. The man of shadows began to move away, and Dick panicked, grabbing his arms to make him stay. He didn't want this man to leave him now!

Then, it happened. In the distance, lighting struck, lighting the world in eerie light. Dick caught a brief glimpse of the man, and immediately recoiled. A gasp of fear and surprise managed to escape him as he caught sight of the pointy ears and blank white eyes. The man's features disappeared as soon as the lightning faded, though he did not move a single inch. It was like he dissolved in the darkness. Was this one of those monsters that Tony said would kidnap him if he didn't listen? He didn't believe a single word the man had said before, but now that there was a frightening creature within arm's length of him, he wished that he had.

The monster-like creature seemed to sense his distress. "I won't hurt you," he said quietly. "I'm here to take you away from Zucco." There was a bit of movement before he spoke again. "Yes, Alfred?" A pause. "The storm must be interfering. I'll bring him in myself." There was more movement, before Dick felt fingertips rest on his shoulder. He shied away from it on instinct, not trusting the... whatever it was that was talking to him. "It's okay, I _won't_ hurt you. I'm going to bring you to a safer place, so that means that I'll have to pick you up. Is that okay?"

Dick bit his lip. He really didn't have anything to lose at this point. Even if this creature intended to kill him, it sure beat staying with Tony. After a few tense seconds he nodded in consent, and was almost immediately scooped up in strong arms.

"Is Zucco your father?" The creature asked in a low voice, and Dick shook his head fractionally. "Hn. What's your name?" Dick didn't answer, he only curled his fingers around the edges of the creature's armor, feeling safer somehow. Wait, armor? Why would a monster need to wear armor? "My name is Batman. You don't have to be afraid of me."

Bat...man? Dick heard of him; he was a hero. For the first time in months, Dick saw a ray of hope. If Batman was here, then that meant that he would be safe now, right? He couldn't believe it; he spent so many months living in fear that he didn't want to ever give himself false hope.

But when the Caped Crusader carried him to a pitch black car, and took off his cape to wrap around Dick's shoulders before he placed him in the passenger seat, Dick couldn't ignore the warm feeling he had. Something about Batman made him want to believe everything was alright.

"I have to go inside and get Zucco." The hero told him quietly, safely securing him with a seatbelt. Dick frowned and held the cape around himself even tighter, treating it as the blanket he left inside. He didn't want Zucco to be anywhere near Batman; what if he tried to hurt him? Batman seemed to sense his distress, for he put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "He is unconscious, and I'll put him in the back where he can't hurt anyone." He nodded towards the grating that separated the front and back of the car, and Dick was reminded of a similar tactic police cars used. "If I leave, will you be okay for a minute?"

Dick nodded, but pulled his knees up to his chest so that he could wrap the cape around them as well. He probably looked beyond ridiculous, using a super hero's cape to hide himself from the world, but the thought of being alone again made him shiver. What would he do if Batman abandoned him there?

Batman frowned at him, studying his behavior. "Would it make you feel better if I let you talk to someone?" Dick nodded after some thought, and Batman hesitantly took off one of his gloves and handed it to him. After Dick shakily wrapped his fingers around it, the bat reached over and hit a hidden button, which made the glove produce a holographic screen. Dick involuntary squeaked when an elderly man wearing a domino mask appeared on the screen, and he quivered as the man stared at him curiously.

 _"Ah, Master Bru- erm, Batman?"_

"Agent A, I need you to keep this boy company. He's scared and confused, and needs someone to talk to while I fetch Zucco."

 _"Of course. Do be careful, will you?"_

"He won't be a problem." Batman turned to Dick. "Don't leave the car. I will be right back." After receiving another small nod, Batman turned around and stalked towards the filthy home to retrieve the criminal.

 _"Oh, I must apologize, but I haven't asked for your name."_ Dick returned his attention to Agent A. _"I am Agent A, as Master Batman has already stated. And you are?_ " Dick averted his eyes from the elderly man, lips held in a grim line. _"Did I offend you, young sir?"_ He received no response from the small child, who only tightened his grip on the black material wrapped around his shaking frame. _"...I do hope I am not being rude for asking this, but can you speak?"_

Dick squeezed his eyes shut. "... Y-Yes," he said in a hoarse voice, not recognizing the sound of it. How long has it been since he has said anything? It had to have been over a year. "T-Tony said..." The thought of being punished again made him whimper, and he buried his face in Batman's cape.

 _"I take it Mr. Zucco told you not to speak?"_ He waited for the small nod he received before speaking again, sounding angry. _"Do not fret, Batman will not allow any harm to come to you ever again. You are safe from Zucco."_

Dick bit his lip and emerged from his safe haven, peering at the old man with bright blue eyes. He still didn't want to speak; memories of what happened whenever he did still fresh on his mind. However, he didn't have to. At that second, he caught sight of movement from the corner of his eye and he turned to watch Batman return, Tony's limp form hung over his shoulder. The back doors of the Batmobile automatically opened when its owner approached it, and Batman all but threw Zucco into the back before slamming the door shut. He looked absolutely furious. Dick flinched at the sight of his angry expression, and couldn't help but eye the hero warily as he slipped into the driver's seat. "Agent A?" He prompted as he started the engine.

 _"Selectively mute, sir. You can most definitely blame that on Zucco."_ The man responded right away, but Dick was more focused on the fact that the car was now speeding through the streets of Gotham. He gripped the bottom of his seat on reflex, watching his surroundings blur by. _"Perhaps you should drive the speed limit, just this once."_

"Negative. Hypothermia, malnutrition, possible broken bones..." he paused, and Dick saw his grip tighten on the steering wheel. "Too many injuries to be ignored for a second longer. He's going straight to the ER, and then I will take care of Zucco."

Dick's eyes widened. Batman was leaving him?! He whined and curled up on himself as best as he could, hiding in the depths of the hero's cape. If Batman left him, then Tony would come after him again!

Dick heard Batman move, probably to look to see what was wrong, and then the Batmobile slowly came to a stop. "We're at the hospital. The people here can help you." This was said towards Dick, who only tightened his grip on his knees. He didn't want to go! "I know you must be scared, but I need you to trust me." There was the sound of a car door opening and closing, and Dick felt tears burn his eyes as Batman came around to open his door as well. "Will you let me pick you up again?"

"..." Dick sniffed, and slowly came out of his hiding place. Batman didn't want to deal with him, did he? That's what Tony told him would happen if he ever escaped; no one would want him. And he must have been telling the truth, because here Batman was, getting rid of him the first chance he got.

Batman took his silence as a yes, and carefully lifted him up again. Dick let out a pained gasp when Batman accidentally brushed over one of the fresh cuts on his back, and the hero stopped in his tracks immediately. "Injuries on your back..." he muttered to himself, as if making a mental list. "Is there anything else I should know about?" He slowly shifted Dick' weight until he had the boy's knees hooked over one arm and the other curled around his shoulders, which kept his back untouched.

Dick furrowed his eyebrows, unsure what he meant. Did he want to know what other injuries he had? That was strange. Wasn't that the doctor's job? Mentally shrugging, Dick brought out of his arms from the cocoon he made around himself, and pulled back his sleeves to show him then burn marks on his skin. Batman froze, and stared for a good ten seconds before he found his voice. "Zucco and his brother own a manure factory, and they use several types of complicated acids in their formulas. Did Tony use one of those on you?" At Dick's usual nod, Batman's face twisted angrily. "That bastard's lucky that the acid wasn't strong enough to-" he paused, blinking down at Dick, as if he was putting his feelings into consideration before he continued. "-well, anything more harmful. Let's get you inside before you freeze to death."

Apparently, being carried in by a famous superhero meant being crowded by doctors the second they came inside. "Oh poor dear, what happened?!" A nurse exclaimed, and Dick inched away when she came too close to him for comfort. Batman noticed his discomfort and glared at her coldly, making her nervously back off.

"This child needs to be seen to immediately. He is suffering from wounds caused by child abuse, and needs doctors that can handle traumatized children. Get a stretcher," Batman ordered sharply, and the crowd quickly dispersed. Seconds later, two nurses showed up with the required equipment, and Batman gently set the terrified boy onto the gurney. "You're safe with them," he said to him quietly, and moved to take his cape back. Dick automatically tightened his grip on it, eyes wide with fear.

"Please...don't..." Dick whispered, clinging to the cape like his life depended on it. "Don't leave..."

"I have to," Batman told him with a stern frown. "You can't stay with me, but I'm sure CPS will bring you to a safer family." He straightened his shoulders and took a step back. "You can keep the cape if you want. Just know that Zucco will pay for what he's done, I swear it." And with that, he left, not looking back once. "Take that cape away from him, and you'll be hearing from me," he growled at one of the nurses as he passed, before leaving though the front doors.

Dick found himself hyperventilating, staring at the space Batman once occupied with growing panic. He can't just leave him here! He didn't know any of these people; he was in a foreign environment with absolutely nothing familiar to ground him.

A couple of nurses began to wheel him away. "We need to take that off of you so that we can take a look at your injuries, okay sweetie?" One of them told him as he was pulled into a closed off section of the hospital. "You'll get it right back, so let me-" she tried to pull the cape away from him, but he refused to let it go. Batman told them not to take it away from him! He wouldn't let them take away the one thing he had left of the Dark Knight. "It's okay," the woman said softly. "We just need to look at what's wrong." When Dick refused to budge, she put a gentle hand on his arm. "Will it make you feel better if I let you put the cape on your lap?" He bit his lip but complied, slipping the fabric off of his shoulders and onto his knees. "Thank you. You're being very brave today, you know. While I take a look at your ouchies, my friend here would like to ask you some questions." She nodded at the male to her left, who gave Dick a friendly smile.

"Hi, I'm Doctor Stein. Like Doctor Stresbeck said, I'm just going to ask you a couple of questions. If you don't want to answer one of them, just shake your head and I'll move on to the next. Is that okay?" Dick nodded, and the doctor beamed. "Excellent. Now, we just received some information about your case from Batman," at the sound of the hero's name, Dick focused more. "He told us you were found sleeping in the backyard of a man named Tony Zucco. Ring any bells?"

"..." Dick lowered his gaze and nodded again, fiddling with Batman's cape.

The doctor nodded and retrieved a clipboard. "Right. And we were also told that Tony isn't your dad. Is that right?" At Dick's nod, Stein scribbled something down on his paper. "Okay. Thank you. Now, Batman also mentioned that you seemed to not want to tell him or his friend who you were. Do you know what your name is?"

Dick winced as Doctor Stresbeck addressed the wounds on his back, and dug his fingernails into the stretcher. He was started to dislike hospitals a lot; what was the point of fixing his injuries if doing that only brought him more pain?

"Hey now, don't go zoning off on me now," Doctor Stein said, tapping his shoulder to get his attention. "It's very important for me to know if you know who you are. If you do, great. If not... Well, we'll cross that bridge if we get there." Dick only blinked up at him, and Stein sighed. "Yeah, looks like he wasn't lying. Kid's showing signs of being selectively mute."

"That's the least of our worries. There are a lot of welts on his back that are bleeding, and it looks like some of them require stitches." Stresbeck came over to stand next to her coworker. "His nose needs setting, and his burns definitely need some attention." She frowned and lightly touched Dick's bruised eye, and he recoiled on instinct. "There are too many injuries to address one at a time. It'll be easier to have him unconscious and work without worrying about further traumatizing him."

Stein did not look pleased. "Yeah, that does seem to be the best course of action. That also gives me the opportunity to do a DNA test and grab a blood sample. Who knows what kind of diseases that sick man could have given him..."

Stresbeck seemed to pick up a subtle message that Dick was deaf to, and she gave her friend a horrified look. "You think that Zucco-"

"He might have, but we won't know for sure unless the patient tells us, and if what Batman said is true then I don't think that we'll be getting an answer. We'll have to get a kit done while he's out, just in case"

"... Of course." Stresbeck gave Dick a strained smile. "Okay, so you have a lot of things we have to take a look at, and since we don't want to put you in any pain we wanted to give you something that would make you sleep through all of it." The woman handed him a plain hospital gown, and the two slowly backed out of the confined area. "You change into that, and knock on the door when you're done so that we know when we can come in."

Dick gave the garment he was given a confused look, but the two doctors left without explaining how he was supposed to put it on. It couldn't be too hard, right? Dick pushed himself off of the gurney and carefully removed his filthy clothing while simultaneously attempting to control his shaking legs. He was eventually able to rid himself of his rags and slip his arms through the slots in the gown, but tying it the laces in the back took energy that he didn't have.

Forgetting about the command he was given earlier, Dick crawled back onto his makeshift bed and pulled the black cape over himself before curling into a ball and closing his eyes. He was so exhausted...

Soon, quiet snores caught the attention of the two doctors waiting outside.

xXx

 **AN: Hey everyone, did you enjoy the first chapter of the** ** _darkest_** **fic I've ever written? Yeah, it doesn't get much better than this. So for those of you who like sad stories, for some reason, you came to the right place.**

 **Well, you all know the drill. Leave me a comment, and tell me what you think! Let it be praise or scorn, I don't care, I just want to know what everyone thinks about this story so far. First chapters are always the telling factor of how good a story will be, and I am curious to know how some of you think this will turn out.**

 **Sorry about the long AN, but that is all for now. See you next chapter!**


	2. Bruce's Faint Light

Batman had never been more furious in his entire life. It took all of his willpower to not break every bone in Zucco's body before he handed him over to the police, and even after he returned to the Bat Cave, he could feel leftover fury burning beneath his skin. The terrified blue eyes of the boy he had saved haunted him every time he blinked, and he kept seeing the horrific wounds that marred his skin. Every time he thought of him, his hatred towards Anthony Zucco only grew stronger. Only a special kind of sick people could do such terrible things to a child, and if Batman didn't have a rule against killing, he would say that he deserved death for what he did.

But not even the boy he left at the hospital could make him break that rule.

"Master Bruce," Alfred greeted as Batman climbed out of his car and strode over to where the butler sat at the Bat Computer. Judging by Alfred's progress on hacking into Gotham General's hospital records, he had taken a liking to the nameless boy as well. "I see you managed to lose your cape," his father figure commented, turning around to raise an eyebrow at him. "Did our new friend have anything to do with that?"

Bruce ignored the statement. "Tony Zucco is now in GCPD custody and is being charged with child abuse. Did you send the hospital all of the information we gathered on the boy?"

"Of course." He turned his attention back to the computer screen, which finally displayed information they were looking for. "They believe that we were correct in our assumptions that the boy is selectively mute, but the file states that they'll need to study his behavior for a longer period of time to confirm it."

The lenses of Batman's cowl narrowed at this. "Being treated like a science experiment isn't what he needs. He's been through a traumatic experience and needs to see a counselor, or something." He came closer to the butler, eyeing the tidbits of information from over his shoulder. "Do we have a name?"

"As luck would have it, they just confirmed that his DNA belongs to..." Both Alfred and Bruce read the name at the same time, and the air was immediately sucked from the room.

"That can't be right," Bruce breathed, the emotionless facade of Batman slipping from his face. The name on that screen was more than a little familiar to him. It was the name of a ghost in his past that haunted him on more than one equation, a name that he thought he would never hear again.

The name was Richard Grayson, a boy who he believed to be dead.

And just like that, unwanted memories of the horrific deaths he witnessed came to the forefront of his vision. The Flying Graysons were said to be legendary in their tricks; they could perform the most spectacular moves all without the safety of a net. Bruce had gone to the circus to keep up his image, and even he was awed by the way the moved through the air. Even their youngest member treated the trapeze like it was an extension of himself; it was like he was born for flying.

But then, Bruce's usual streak of bad luck kicked in. John and Mary Grayson, the two parents, were performing the finale when their ropes snapped. Even they couldn't defy gravity and escape the clutches of death. The scene that they left behind was gruesome, pools of red staining the ground, terrified screams echoing through the tent... and the unmistakable sound of a child sobbing. It was _that_ noise that caught Bruce's attention. When he looked up and saw Richard kneeling on the trapeze platform, head bowed and shoulders shaking, he saw a bit of himself. He saw what he experienced when his own parents died when he was a child.

He stayed there for a while, just staring. His eyes remained glued to the boy even as Richard finally climbed down from his perch and fled the tent. He immediately wanted to follow him, but stopped himself. What exactly would he do when he caught up to him? Even though Bruce was familiar with the pain he was going through, that didn't mean he had the right to force his presence on him. Richard probably needed time alone; he just saw something that would haunt him for a long time, and he didn't need a stranger to pester him. Bruce would simply wait until he returned, and then give him his condolences.

He had no idea that Richard would never be seen again after that moment. He had no idea that if he simply listened to his first instinct and spoke with him, then he would still be alive and well. Because after Richard left the tent, he never returned, and no one caught ever saw or heard from him ever again.

And now, today, Bruce knew exactly what happened to Richard Grayson, and the guilt he harbored for so long doubled. If he hadn't hesitated, would that have prevented Richard from being kidnapped by Zucco?

"Master Bruce." Alfred snapped him out of his self hatred. "If you think for one second that this is your fault..." He gave him his own version of the famous bat-glare. "You did what you thought was right at the time, and no one can blame you for doing so. Instead of blaming this on yourself, think of the good you've done tonight. Thanks to your intervention, Richard is now out of harm's way and receiving the care he needs."

"He shouldn't have been in this situation to begin with," Bruce growled out in reply. "I saved him from Zucco, but Tony still won. He hurt Richard physically and emotionally, and that trauma will stay with him for the rest of his life."

"I understand your anger, Master Bruce, but you shouldn't take it out on yourself. There's nothing you can do to change the-"

"Wait," Bruce interrupted, squinting at the screen. Seconds later, his eyes widened. "Alfred, look." He pointed to the newly updated information, his stomach twisting painfully as he read it over again. "They're checking him over for any signs of a sexual assault. They're checking a _child_ for _that_."

Alfred read over the same paragraph, any and all color draining from his face. "They believe Zucco...?"

With a loud snarl, Bruce slammed his fist against the computer desk, making Alfred jump slightly. "That son of a- If they find any sign that he so much as _thought_ of doing that, I'll personally remove a part of his anatomy!"

Alfred stared at him, shocked by his sudden outburst. "Bruce! Calm yourself immediately. You're not doing anyone any good by losing hour temper like this!" He gave him a frustrated look that made Bruce calm himself immediately. He learned at a very young age that making Alfred angry was never a wise decision. "Now, I suggest we leave this alone immediately. You completed your part of Richard's case, and now we must leave the doctors to do theirs. Shouting about something you have no control over will not help Richard in the slightest. It's time to move on."

Bruce stopped in his tracks, confusion overriding everything else for a split second. Now that Alfred mentioned it, Bruce usually put the criminals behind bars and moved on to the next case, never going through the trouble of looking through medical files or arguing with his butler about the victim's health. It wasn't that he never cared, he did, but it was best for everyone that he didn't get involved with that. No one needed an emotionally invested Batman running around Gotham. He purposely let go of all of his emotions for the sole purpose of remaining unattached.

But Richard Grayson managed to pull him in. "Alfred, you're right. I'm wasting time here. I'll restock on weapons and return to the field immediately." He turned towards the computer screen one last time, taking in the small amount of information the hospital had. It was time to let the Grayson case go. And even though some part of him screamed that he shouldn't ignore the boy again, he reached over and closed the tab.

Batman had no room for a child in his life.

xXx

Days slowly came and went, and Batman continued reigning in the scum of his precious city. The incident regarding Richard Grayson became a distant memory to him, and he was able to successfully purged himself of any attachment he had to the child.

Well, that's what he thought, until he was approached by Jim Gordon.

"I wanted to thank you for bringing Tony Zucco into our custody," the older man told him when he joined him on the GCPD rooftop, the Bat Signal shining above them. "The man has a lot of charges against him- child abduction, child abuse, two counts of murder... Oh, and we've been trying to get some information from Richard, like if he's been touched in inappropriate ways, but the kid hasn't been responsive. We can't charge Zucco with anything like that until we have some sort of evidence."

"...Why are you telling me this?" Batman asked tonelessly, hiding his inward cringe from the mentioning of the not subtle mentioning of sexual assault.

"Well, the kid still has your cape. I thought maybe you had a heart and cared about him a little?" Gordon looked disappointed in him. "But I guess not even he could get past your walls."

Batman was now irritated. He showed up only because he thought Gotham was in danger, not to talk about someone he spent so long trying to forget. It wasn't that he didn't care, no, it was the complete opposite. And that was the problem, he wasn't supposed to care. "If you don't have a case for me, then stop wasting my time. If you didn't notice, there are other people in this city besides Richard Grayson, and they need my help too." He turned around to leave.

"...If you have any friends that could adopt him, that would make me feel better." At his words, Batman stopped. "Richard was put into CPS's care, but they don't have room for him in any of their regular facilities. I don't know how this is legal, or justified in any way, but they're putting him in a Juvenile Detention Center, and he'll stay there until he either gets adopted or they make room somewhere else."

Batman stood perfectly still a few feet a way from him, the gears in his head turning at an impossibly quick pace. Richard couldn't be put into a Detention Center, not with his background, age, and lack of criminal activity in his life. That just couldn't be right, no one was sick enough to throw an emotionally unstable boy into a facility with criminals. With the amount of cruel and violent boys he would be around, he wouldn't last a week in there; it would be too much like his last home.

He told Richard that CPS would bring him to a safer family, not another living hell!

The Commissioner took a hesitant step towards him. "Batman, I know you don't like getting involved with this, but this kid doesn't deserve any of this. Please, there must be someone you know that will take him in and keep him safe. You know I won't tell anyone that this person has a connection to you."

"...What is your connection to him, Gordon?" He challenged, turning around to face him. "You don't get involved in these cases either."

"Touche." Gordon frowned. "This time's different. I don't know why, but I'm drawn to this kid. It doesn't make much sense, but even though he seems so broken, it feels like he has so much..." he struggled to come up with the correct term, but Batman already knew what he meant.

"Light," he finished, and Jim rose his eyebrows at him. Batman sighed quietly, coming to the conclusion that he wouldn't be able to ignore Grayson for a second longer. "When I saved him, he was afraid of everyone and everything. All he wanted to do was hide from the world... But he's not broken, far from it. There's still light in there, he still has hope."

Jim slowly smiled. "So the heart of ice finally melted, huh?" He didn't sound smug, just proud, for some reason. "I have a feeling I know what you're going to do, but I'll ignore it. As far as I'm concerned, whoever adopts Richard Grayson has no connection to you whatsoever."

"...Goodbye, Commissioner." Batman turned back around and threw himself off of the rooftop, using one hand to grab and aim his grapple hook, and using the other to activate the communicator in his ear. "Alfred, I need you to bring up Richard Grayson's files and tell me where he's being held."

His butler took a minute to respond _. "I suppose there's no use asking_ _ **why**_ _you need this information?"_ There was the sound of someone typing on a keyboard before he spoke. _"I have his location on hand. Will you need it now, or later?"_

"It can wait until I get there." He ran towards where his car was parked, his thoughts waging war against themselves. On one hand, this was an insane plan that had no amount of thought put into it, and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. But on the other hand, Batman might be heartless, but Bruce Wayne wasn't. There was no way in hell he would let CPS throw Richard behind bars and leave him there until the boy destroyed himself. No, he was not going to make this mistake a third time. Every time he decided to ignore Richard, the boy ended up getting hurt in the end. It was time to stop being an idiot.

 _"Sir, I do hope you're not about to do something reckless."_

"That's exactly what I plan to do." He focused on finding the best route back to where he had parked the Bat Mobile. "Besides, you've always been bugging me about grandchildren."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end. _"No offense Master Bruce, but you're hardly the perfect candidate to be raising a traumatized child. Taking care of Richard requires patience, and dare I say it,_ _ **affection**_ _. I have known you your entire life, and you have always had difficulties with expressing your feelings. I'm sorry to say this, but I think you will be doing him more harm than good if you take him in."_

Batman was not angry with his butler; he was only speaking the truth after all. But Bruce knew that he was wrong. He was capable of taking care of Richard, he knew it. And sure, he would have some problems with stepping out of his comfort zone to provide Richard with the attention he needed, but damn it, he could definitely do it if he put his mind to it! "Bruce Wayne will be going to the Detention Center in an hour, and he'll be going with or without his butler. It's your decision." He paused. "I can do this, Alfred. Have a little faith."

 _"It's not that I don't believe your heart is in the right place, but are you certain that you are ready for such a big commitment? Taking care of a child is a big responsibility. You cannot simply back out of this if you decide you'd rather not be a father just yet. You will have to be his parent until he is eighteen, maybe longer if he cannot move past this trauma by then. Do you honestly think you are ready for this?"_

Bruce stopped to finally think it over rationally. _Was_ he capable of being a parent? Would he be able to provide Richard with a loving family that would help him through everything he went through? Maybe Alfred was right... Maybe he was rushing into this without thinking properly.

But then he remembered how fiercely protective he was over the boy, how seeing him injured brought out a side of himself that he never saw before. It was hard to ignore the connection he and Richard created between themselves in the short amount of time they knew each other. Bruce couldn't let him go this time. And if he turned out to be a terrible parent, or if Richard didn't want to stay with him, _then_ he would let him go.

But until then... He had to at least try to make things right. "I'm returning to the Bat Cave now, to get changed into something that suits my next mission."

There was a bit of silence from the other end. Then, _"Well, I suppose I wouldn't mind seeing another child in this house."_ Bruce could almost picture the small smile the butler wore. _"While you are gone I'll start preparing a room. The guest room across from yours ought to do."_ He paused. _"And if you're able to get him today, then we'll have to purchase quite a few items. Children require a lot of things, including toys and a variety of foods."_

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you sounded excited, Alfred."

 _"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean, Master Bruce."_

Bruce couldn't help but feel amused. "I'll see you soon, Alfred." He then cut the connection, focusing on the task at hand. Time to become a parent.

Batman disappeared into the night.

xXx

Dick was curled into a ball in the corner of his cell, his face pressed against his arms in a desperate attempt to silence his crying. The boys here didn't like him; they taunted him about his past with Tony, and his cellmate threw a fit any time Dick so much as breathed too loudly. And since sleeping brought him nightmares that usually made him scream, he did everything he could to stay awake and keep quiet. Like the last house he lived in, it seemed like nobody wanted to hear his voice. Heck, they didn't want anything to do with him at all. Tony must've been right when he called him worthless... No one wanted to have anything to do with him.

It has only been a day since he was taken to the Center, but he was already miserable. They took away everything he had- the clothes that Dr. Stresbeck and Dr. Stein kindly bought him, the teddy bear that Commissioner Gordon sent to him, and most importantly, Batman's cape. Without being able to hide in the warm fabric, he felt completely hopeless and alone.

Batman really wasn't coming back for him, was he?

"Grayson, you have a visitor," one of the guards opened up his cell and walked over to him. Dick ignored him, there wasn't anyone who would want to visit him. It was obviously a trick. "If you don't get up now then I'll tell him you don't want to be adopted," the man snapped, and Dick hesitantly poked his head out of his cocoon of limbs. Adopted? Someone wanted to adopt _him_?

There must have been some sort of mistake, but Dick didn't want to anger the guard any further. So, he slowly pushed himself off of the ground and wrapped his arms around himself as he followed the guard out of his cell. His cell mate made an unintelligible grumble as he pressed his face into his pillow. Dick was very careful not to make a sound; he didn't want to be punched in the face by for making too much noise when he returned.

The guard led him through a couple of dark hallways, but they eventually stopped outside of what Dick knew to be the storage room. "Stay here," the guard barked, his green eyes sparking in warning. Dick hurriedly nodded his head, biting his lip as the man disappeared into the room. Seconds later, he returned with a grey backpack in his grasp, which was shoved into Dick's arms without any prior warning. "There's all your crap. Go down to the front entrance and meet your new guardian." And without any further explanation, the guard turned around and left.

Dick numbly swung the backpack over one of his shoulders, wincing as it hit a healing bruise. He was curious to see if Batman's cape had been included with all of his things, but he didn't want to waste time by going through the bag. There was someone waiting for him outside, and he didn't want to make them mad right away.

Not quite sure where to go, but determined not to annoy his new 'guardian,' Dick began to navigate through the complex building, stumbling through many doors until he finally found one that had a sign that read 'lobby' next to it. And while Dick was confused to why a Juvenile Detention Center would have a lobby, he knew it was the right place. So, he grabbed the door handle and pushed the heavy door open, finally coming to a halt inside the final room.

Only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw a man in an expensive suit angrily speaking to the person working at the front desk, an elderly man behind him wearing a grimace on his face. Oh no, they were both angry with him, weren't they? Dick pushed himself back towards the door, terrified of how much trouble he was already in. Even though he tried his hardest, he must have taken too long, and now the man he assumed was adopting him hated him already.

The elderly man paused and looked in his direction, eyes widening when he saw him. He then turned and touched the younger man's shoulder, saying something too quiet for Dick to hear. Dick tensed in anticipation as his new guardian paused and slowly turned around to look at him as well.

Their eyes met, and all of the anger disappeared from his face.

"...Richard," the man greeted, and before he knew it he was only a few feet away. Dick instinctively pressed himself back against the door he came in from, wanting to put as much space as he could between them. "I'm not going to hurt you," the man said, and Dick frowned, suddenly struck by deja-vu. "My name is Bruce Wayne, and I'm here to take you away from this place. Would you be okay with that?"

Dick was immediately startled by the question. The only other person to ask for his permission to do something to him was Batman. He frowned at Bruce suspiciously; was this some sort of trick?

"...I know you probably don't trust me, I wasn't expecting you to. But I can bring you somewhere safer, a place where no one will hurt you ever again." Bruce held his gaze. "I understand what you're going through, and it's probably difficult to trust anyone anymore, but will you give me a chance?" He held out a hand in front of Dick, waiting.

Give him a chance? Dick scrunched his eyebrows together, completely baffled by Bruce's offer. There had to be a catch, he knew it. Was he only promising to keep him safe when it reality he was only going to do what Tony did? Was this all a trick? Dick didn't want to take that chance. He was so _tired_ of being deceived all the time. If Bruce turned out to be a second Tony, he wouldn't be able to take it.

But still... Bruce's face held nothing but concern and kindness. If this was an act, it was definitely a good one. Bruce seemed safe, and for some reason, there was something terribly familiar about him. He couldn't put his finger on it, especially not with how emotionally exhausted he was, but he had a feeling Bruce could be trusted.

So against his better judgement, Dick hesitantly reached out to accept the outstretched hand.

Bruce smiled at him and gingerly removed his backpack from him, holding it in his other hand. "No need to carry this thing around while you're still healing." At Dick's panicked look, his smile became more reassuring. "I won't let anything happen to your things. They're safe with me, I promise." Dick relaxed slightly, and complied when Bruce began to gently pull him towards the exit. The elderly man followed them closely, and Dick quickly became uncomfortable by his presence.

"Master Bruce, shall we stop at the store first or would you prefer to be dropped off at the house with Master Richard?" The nameless man asked as they went outside, and made the mistake of coming too close to the two. Dick immediately tensed and huddled himself close to Bruce's side, gripping the sleeve of his suit as tightly as possible. Alfred seemed taken aback by his behavior. "I'm terribly sorry, sir. I didn't mean to frighten you."

Bruce stopped walking, looking down at Dick with an unreadable expression. Dick felt his heartbeat pick up, fearing that he made his guardian mad again. But instead of yelling at him, Bruce took off his backpack and handed it to the older man before kneeling next to him. "Hey, it's okay, he's a friend. His name is Alfred, and he takes care of me and the house I live in. He won't hurt you either."

Dick felt tears building in the back of his eyes. Bruce noticed this and put a steady hand on his shoulder, face lined with concern. "Richard, why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?" And that's when Dick lost it. Without hesitation, he surged forward and wrapped his tiny arms around Bruce in a desperate hug, sobs wracking his chest. He couldn't take it anymore, he was scared, hurt, and confused, but Bruce was being so _nice_ and he didn't understand why, and-

He just let everything out.

Bruce tensed when he first started crying, but after a few seconds, he awkwardly returned the hug, patting Dick's back in an attempt to comfort him. Dick didn't care that his actions were uncomfortable; he was trying, and that's all that mattered. He cared, didn't he? Dick hoped that he did; he needed someone to care about him for once. He was so tired of hoping that someone would care, only to be stabbed in the back later on.

"It's alright kiddo, you're safe now," Bruce murmured, his chin falling against Dick's head as the child continued to sob his eyes out. "I'll keep you safe Richard, don't worry. Everything will be better now, you'll see."

"..." Dick wanted to thank him, wanted to tell him how much it meant to him that he was even there, but his tongue stayed glued to the inside of his mouth. Talking still meant punishment, in his mind. Even if Bruce was okay with him speaking, Tony was definitely not. And when Tony got out of prison and took him back, he would be furious with him if he heard that he spoke without his permission. He was already going to he mad when he learned that he talked to _Batman_ of all people.

"Here, it's getting chilly outside already. Why don't I carry you to the car?" Bruce suggested, and Dick was again reminded of something else. Didn't he hear those same words before? He knew he did, but he couldn't quite focus on it. He was too tired to do much besides nod at Bruce in consent. Bruce immediately lifted him into his arms and stood to his full height, looking back at Alfred. "We should stop at the store and at least get him something to eat. I don't think we should bring him in though, he's terrified enough without having to walk into a building full of strangers. Would you mind if I stayed in the car with him?"

"Of course. I'll return to the store later on to get the full list of items, but I'll put that off until after breakfast tomorrow morning." Dick stopped listening, closing his eyes as he rested his head against Bruce's shoulder. "Are there any requests for what I should make?"

Bruce looked down at Richard, about to see if he could get the boy to talk, but saw that he was out like a light. "I don't think he'll object to anything, Alfred. Just make sure it's light enough for him to stomach." He stared down at the child, worried that he did something wrong. "Is it bad that he fell asleep?" He asked quietly, not wanting to disturb him.

"I don't believe so. In fact, it's a miracle he trusted you enough to fall asleep while in at your mercy. I see he's opening up already." Alfred was nearly beaming, if that was possible. "Besides, it _is_ starting to get late, so in all honesty it shouldn't come to much of a surprise that he was feeling a little tired."

They finally got to the car, and Alfred held one of the back doors open. Bruce slowly unwrapped Richard's arms from around his neck and gently set him down in the closest seat, safely securing him with a seatbelt. Bruce then shut the door and traveled to the other side of the door, climbing in and scooting as close to Richard as possible without actually touching him. He didn't want to get into his personal space without his permission. After the two of them were seated, Alfred sat down in the driver's seat and started the car. Soon, they were driving away.

Bruce studied the sleeping child next to him, all earlier doubts being completely erased from his mind. He knew he did the right thing by taking the boy in. He could tell simply by looking at the yellowing bruise on the boy's eye, the bandages on his arms, and the way his clothing hung loosely over his frame, even though he was given the smallest uniform the Center owned. Because Bruce saw that the child was nearly broken, his spirit barely hanging on by a thread. And as Bruce watched the slow rise and fall of Richard's chest, he knew-

He knew that he would have to be the one to fix him.

xXx

 **AN: By the way... I hope you all know that there won't be much action in this story. Well, since it's a DC fic there will of course be some, but this will mostly focus on Dick and Bruce's growing bond. And since I've been told that I'm good at writing combinations of angst and fluff, that will definitely be included as well.**

 **Thank you all so much for your comments on my last update! I'll see you all next chapter!**


	3. Shopping Trip Part One

**AN: Guys, I forgot how to title. I spent a good ten minutes just trying to figure out what this chapter should be called. I should hire someone to title things for me, because that has always been my weak point.**

 **(Yes, I ramble a lot. I am sorry.)**

 **Anyways, I have seen a surprisingly large amount of people who have been reading this. Um, are you guys okay? Should I be concerned? This story is very sad, and I was not expecting a lot of readers. O.o**

 **Er... Since you all like sadness so much... Enjoy?**

xXx

 _"Now, what is a little kid like you doing out here all alone?"_

 _Dick backed away from the shadowy man, fresh tears streaming down his face. "M-My parents..." He trailed off as the man came closer, and felt his heartbeat pick up in alarm. He had no idea who this stranger was, but his entire being screamed at him to not trust him. "I-I'm going b-back now."_

 _Breathy laughter sent shivers down his spine. "Is that so? Sorry, but I didn't come all the way out over here just to let you go. See, I have a job to finish." Ignoring Dick's startled eyes, Tony closed the space between them and roughly grabbed one of his shoulders, placing a knife in front of his throat. "Well, that was my original plan. But I've been thinking, I can hurt Haly a lot more if I made you suffer instead of straight out killing you. And keeping you around would ensure that he wouldn't dare defy me again, or else-" The blade dug into Dick's skin, and the stinging sensation brought tears to his eyes. "-you won't be in one piece for much longer."_

 _An unbearable amount of fear shook Dick to the core, and without thinking, he began to struggle in Tony's grip. "Help!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "Hel-"_

 _"Quiet," Tony hissed, clasping a hand over his captive's mouth. "You little brat, do you really think I'm going to let you get me caught?" He glared down at Dick, who whimpered and squeezed his eyes shut. "You know what, how about I make sure you can't scream for a while?" He released Dick, who slowly opened his eyes and looked at Tony in confusion. But then, out of the blue, the man swung a fist at his jaw with enough force to break it and send him crashing onto the grass beneath him. He let out an unintelligible cry as he fell, and could only lay on the ground as he gingerly brought a hand up to his mouth. That was not a kind of pain he had ever experienced in his life. Why was this man doing this to him? Why did he want to hurt him like this?_

 _Tony, to his surprise, smirked. "Aw, you think that's bad? Try making a peep again, and it'll get worse."_

 _Ignoring his command, Dick opened his mouth and speak, but his jaw hurt so much that he could only groan. But to Tony, that must have counted as speaking, because he narrowed his eyes angrily. "You're seriously going to regret that..." he moved towards Dick, hands curled into fists and-_

 _ **CRACK**_ _!_

Dick shot up into a sitting position with a banshee shriek, clamping his hands over his ears to block out the sound of breaking bones. His blue eyes widened when he realized what he did, and his gaze immediately flickered over to where the door to the laundry room was. Or where it should have been, anyways. As lightning lit up the room he was in, he quickly realized that he was not in his usual room, and he was not laying in a pile of clothes. Underneath him was a mattress, and there were blankets resting on his lap, and a pillow sitting where his head once was. Dick immediately kicked the covers off of his legs and frantically looked around the room for answers. Why was he in a bed, he wondered with a sharp pang of terror.

And that's when he remembered; Bruce Wayne had adopted him.

Beyond his bedroom door, a loud thud was heard, and then the sound of hurried footsteps. Dick's breath caught in his throat and he froze in his tracks. Bruce was probably _livid_ with him for waking him up with his screams, and Dick was terrified of what the man would do to him for making so much noise.

The door flew open. "Richard?!" Bruce Wayne was dressed in his pajamas, and his eyes immediately landed on the panicking child. "Wha-"

Without thinking, Dick scrambled off of the bed, landing on the floor at an odd angle and managed to agitate the healing cuts on his back. He did not care, however, and continued to crawl until he was safely hidden underneath the bed.

"Richard?! Richard, are you okay?" Dick watched as bare feet padded over to the edge of the bed, and he sunk back into the darkness as Bruce knelt down to look at him. "Richard... I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly, but Dick didn't dare believe him. Was it a trick? Was Bruce trying to lure him into a false sense of security to gain his trust, only to hurt later? "...I see you don't want to come out. That's okay, take your time. I'm sure your terrified right now." To Dick's surprise, Bruce laid down besides the bed, simply watching him from afar. "Did you have a nightmare?"

The question was so... innocent. Not something Tony would ever care to ask, that was for sure. "..." Dick nodded minutely, not sure if his guardian could see it through the shadows.

But Bruce returned the nod. "I see. I thought that would be a problem, you've been through a lot." Dick could barely make out a sad smile being directed towards him. "You know, I have nightmares too. They're probably not nearly as bad as yours, but I have tons of them. They happen almost every night." He seemed to catch Dick's curious look. "See, when I was little, younger than you are, my parents were..." he paused. "Well, murdered. Right in front of my eyes."

Dick froze.

"And yours were too, weren't they?" Bruce's smile faded altogether, and his face became mournful. "I was there that night. I don't know if you remember."

He did. While Dick's memories of that night were always fuzzy from the grief he experienced, he faintly remembered hearing Haly announce Bruce Wayne's presence. He made a huge donation to the circus on that night. Did that make him a friend?

Bruce watched him, face aged beyond his years. "Richard, I know you've been through a lot these last two years, and you probably can't trust anyone, but please let me help you. I promise you that I will never let anything bad happen to you while I'm around. Will you give me a chance?"

"..." Despite his instinctive fear of letting his guard down, Dick slowly manoeuvred himself out from under the bed. Bruce moved out of his way as he approached, and Dick eventually emerged from his hiding spot. The two of them stared at each other in silence for a moment, before Dick couldn't control himself any longer and threw his arms around the man, letting out wracking sobs.

Bruce returned the hug, patting his back awkwardly. "It's okay, Richard. Everything will get better, you'll see."

"...Dick," He corrected quietly, hiding his face from Bruce's view.

"What?" Bruce sounded confused, but not angry, and that's what gave Dick the courage to speak again.

"...My name..."

"Your name?" Bruce paused, and it seemed to click in his head. "Oh, you prefer the nickname Dick?" Not taking the chance of speaking again, Dick simply nodded. "Okay, then Dick it is. Thank you for telling me that, Dick." He pulled himself out of their hug, and smiled at him. "You can tell me anything, you know. I'm not like Zucco. I won't hurt you for talking."

"..." Dick didn't meet his gaze. Even if Bruce truly was okay with hearing his voice, Tony definitely was not. And when he escaped from prison and came after him again, he would be absolutely furious with him for talking, and the punishments he would receive would not be as harmless as the last. And the more Dick spoke, the worse his punishment would be, so he would continue to remain silent.

Dick's refusal to speak again seemed to make Bruce sad. "I hope you'll trust me more someday... But unless you want to tell me about your nightmare, why don't you get back into bed?" He gestured to the mattress besides them, and Dick felt his stomach lurch at the thought of doing just that. He shook his head in reply, biting his lip as he watched Bruce's expression spark with dampened fury. "Dick, are you tired?" A nod. "Then why don't you want to get into bed?"

There was, of course, no reply.

"Dick..." Bruce sucked in a deep breath to calm himself, and Dick wondered if his guardian was starting to get annoyed with him. "I'm going to ask you a question, and it's very important that you answer it. Has Zucco ever done something bad to you in a bed?"

Dick stubbornly remained silent, just staring at Bruce. The man stared right back, a mixture of emotions showing on his face. "Please answer me, Dick. I need to know."

"..."

His silent answer seemed to hang between them heavily. "What did he do?" No reply. "...Did he try to take your clothes off?"

"...Once." He shrank back when Bruce's face lit up with anger. But he then realized it wasn't aimed towards him. Was it aimed towards Tony? He suddenly felt the need to make the situation seem better. "Didn't get far," he told him quietly, not meeting his eyes. "Alcohol. He passed out."

The man's face twisted from the effort of controlling his anger. "...And that was the only time he did something like that?" At Dick's nod, Bruce sighed. "Dick, you shouldn't have had to experience that, but you should also know that I will never _ever_ do something like that. You can sleep in your own bed without having to be afraid of me. Okay?" Dick still felt apprehensive, and it apparently showed on his face. "I guess you still don't trust me. That's fine, I wasn't expecting you to so soon. It's okay to be afraid." He smiled weakly. "But would it make you feel better if I put a couple of blankets on the floor and let you sleep there for now?"

Dick tilted his head slightly; what was up with Bruce being so nice? He didn't get mad at him for not doing what he asked and sleep on the bed, nor did he get irritated when he first ignored his questions. And now he was willing to create a makeshift bed for him? That was not what he was expecting.

Still confused, Dick hesitantly nodded, and Bruce returned it. "Okay, hang on." He stripped the bed of its abundance of blankets and pillow and tossed them on the floor before pushing the bed out of the way so there was more space. He then carefully laid out the blankets and pillows on the floor, making sure they were perfect before gesturing at Dick. "There you go."

Dick swallowed and crawled on top of the blankets, reluctantly allowing his head to fall onto a stack of pillows. Bruce smiled at him, seemingly content with his work. "Okay kiddo, now try to get some more sleep. We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow." Without hesitation, Bruce pulled one of the covers over Dick, and secured it around him before standing. "Goodnight. I'll see you in the morning." He then stood, gave him one last reassuring smile, and then left the room. Dick didn't miss it when he left the door a crack open, as if making sure he would be able to hear it if Dick had another nightmare.

It's been a while since someone tucked him in, even if Bruce wasn't aware that he even did so. It felt _safe._

Almost like when Batman gave him his cape...

xXx

When Bruce woke up, the first thing he noticed was the smell of food floating in the air which came from downstairs. Alfred must have been preparing breakfast, he thought to himself as he pushed away his covers and made his way to his closet. Before he knew it, he was fully dressed and ready for the day, leaving his room with the intention of going to the dining room.

And then he came to a sudden halt in front of Richa- Dick's- room. He stared at the slightly ajar door for a moment, recalling the events that took place only a few hours before. While he was relieved that Zucco didn't go through with assaulting Dick, he felt disgusted and angry that he tried. What kind of sick, twisted creature could even think about doing something like that to someone, especially a child? It made him sick to the stomach.

But, Dick didn't need him to be haunted by what happened, he needed him to be there for him to help him get past it. So, pushing those thoughts to the darkest corner of his mind, Bruce knocked on the door lightly. "Dick? Breakfast is ready. I was wondering if you wanted to walk down with me?"

A few seconds passed, and eventually, the door opened the rest of the way to reveal Dick. The boy's eyes were glossy from sleep, his hair stuck up all over the place, and he let out a huge yawn before clamping his hand over his mouth to silence it. If Bruce would ever use the word 'adorable,' that day would be today.

"Sorry kiddo, didn't mean to wake you up," Bruce said apologetically, but Dick didn't seem to mind. He just gave Bruce a strained smile in reply. "Well, how about breakfast? I'm sure you must be hungry." Without waiting for a reply that probably wouldn't come, Bruce led Dick down the stairs, through the living room, and into the dining room. Inside, Alfred was already placing two separate plates of French toast on the table, one across from the other.

"Oh, good morning Master Bruce, Master Richard," the butler greeted. "I was just wondering if I should wake you."

"Morning Alfred," Bruce replied, and Dick sent him a smile. The boy then looked over to the food, and after a few seconds of staring, his face fell, much to Bruce's alarm. "Dick, what's wrong?" He asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. Dick brushed it off, lips set in a thin line.

"Oh, apologies. I had no idea I was referring to you in the wrong manner, Master Dick." Alfred looked at the plates of food, looking as confused as Bruce felt. "Is the food not to your liking? I can prepare you something else if you wish."

Dick shook his head, but his expression did not change. Why did he look like he had gotten his hopes up, only to have them crushed? Was he expecting something else? "Well, maybe you can tell us what's wrong after we eat," Bruce suggested softly, and circled around the table to take his seat. Dick watched him for a moment, and to his confusion, he followed him.

And then he took a seat next to him, on the floor.

Both Bruce and Alfred froze, staring down at Dick in shock and concern. The boy was blind to their confusion, he simply sat criss-crossed on the tile, head bowed so that his hair fell into his face. "Dick?" Bruce prompted, and Dick slowly rose his head to meet his gaze. "Why are you on the floor?"

It was now Dick's turn to look confused. He looked at Bruce's plate, and then the one across from it, eyebrows knitted together. He then looked back at Bruce, before slowly turning his gaze to Alfred, and then back at the abandoned plate. And that's when Bruce understood; Dick had assumed the other plate was for _Alfred_. But if Dick's immediate response was to sit on the floor next to Bruce, then that was a sign that he had to do that often. Did Zucco really have Dick sit on the floor at his side during meals, treating him like he was nothing more than a pet?

"...Dick, the other plate is for you, not Alfred," he said quietly, and Dick blinked in surprise. "Alfred prefers to eat in the kitchen, and that's why his plate isn't here." He got onto his feet, and helped Dick up to his as well, leading him to the empty chair across from his. "Here. I want you to sit at the table with me, not on the floor. I am not your Master, I'm your guardian. You'll never have to sit on the floor in this house."

The boy's eyes filled with tears again, but this time Bruce was sure that he definitely wasn't sad. Dick gave him a watery smile before sitting down in his seat, far too excited about sitting in a chair to be healthy. But still, he didn't touch his food, not even when Bruce moved back to his own seat and began to cut his toast in bite sized pieces. Dick's food was already cut for him, so that couldn't have been the problem. So what was the problem?

"You don't have to wait for me to tell you to eat, either," Bruce said after a moment of confusion. "As soon as you're sitting, you can start eating whenever you want. Neither of us will be mad at you if you eat." Dick's eyes lit up at this, and he immediately grabbed the fork next to his plate and stabbed one of his pieces of toast with it, before he quickly shoved it into his mouth. He treated his food like he was afraid he wouldn't be able to eat more, and Bruce felt saddened that this boy had to learn to treasure every meal he was able to eat.

And that's when Bruce finally took the time to study him. The bandages around both of his arms, the long and angry cut running from his chin to his collarbone, and every other wound he was ever given to by Zucco would all scar. But it wasn't only the physical wounds that would remain behind, the mental and emotional ones would stay for even longer. Zucco damaged Dick's head in so many ways that Bruce was afraid that it would be impossible to put all of the pieces together. What if he couldn't help Dick? What if the kid spent the rest of his life living in fear? Was it even possible for him to recover from all of the horrors he has faced?

Maybe not... But he had to at least try to get Dick to see that there was still good left in the world. And he could start with little things. "Have you tried it with syrup?" Bruce asked, picking up the bottle Alfred left behind and passing it to the wide eyed boy. "Trust me, it's delicious."

Smiling shyly, Dick pulled the cap off of the container and poured it over his plate. After letting a small stream of sugary syrup fall onto his food, he righted the container, and a few stray drops fell onto the table. Dick froze and stared at the mess for a second, then looked at Bruce fearfully. Bruce ignored his expression and took the bottle from him, purposely pouring his own syrup so that it spilled over his plate. "Oops." He smiled at Dick, who continued to look apprehensive. "Oh well, accidents happen."

He never saw someone looked so relieved, and he had to admit that his heart broke a little just thinking about it. That poor kid... Zucco was a bastard for corrupting this boy's mind so much that he was expecting a punishment for spilling _syrup_. Bruce needed to prove to him that he could be trusted. But how?

He hoped he would find out soon.

xXx

As luck would have it, Bruce's old clothes fit Dick fairly well, though it was disheartening that it was his clothes from when be was _eight_. Dick was far too small for his age, and that would definitely be the main thing Bruce would pay attention to. But for now, Bruce had some other concerns that needed addressing, which was buying Dick a whole bunch of stuff.

Apparently, Zucco only allowed him to keep the clothes he was in after he kidnapped Dick, and those were in tatters by the time Batman came around to save him. But other than that one outfit, Dick had absolutely nothing, and Bruce wasn't about to let him continue wearing the same thing every day. No, Dick was a part of his family now, and that meant he would be spoiled.

And that's how he, Dick, and Alfred found themselves in a shopping mall after breakfast ended. "Master Bruce, I am going to find some things such as bed covers, a toothbrush, combs, and other miscellaneous items. I trust you will be able to find the appropriate clothes and toys for Master Dick?"

Bruce smiled in response, looking down at the boy that refused to let go of his arm. "I think we'll be fine. I have a feeling that we'll be here for a while, so we might as well meet back up for lunch. I'll call you when we're getting hungry."

"Excellent plan, sir." Alfred nodded, and smiled at Dick, who hesitantly returned it. "Farewell, Master Dick, do try to have fun on my behalf, will you?" He gave them one last look before venturing off on his own, disappearing in a distant shop.

Bruce immediately gave Dick his full attention. "Alright, clothes first, or toys?" Dick frowned at him and shrugged, eyes moving from shop to shop carefully. But Bruce wasn't going to make the decision for him; Dick had to learn to make his own choices, or he would never learn to be independent. "How about you point to which shop you want to go in, and we'll go?"

Dick immediately stiffened, and his hand tightened around Bruce's sleeve. "..." he looked to the ground for a moment, lips pursed. Bruce felt a little bad for putting him on the spot, especially since Dick probably had no idea which shops sold what.

"Okay, that was a dumb idea. Okay, let's try this: give me a thumbs up if you want to go find clothes first, and give me a thumbs down if you want toys." Dick looked up and studied his expression for a second, then bit his lip as he gave him a thumbs up. Bruce smiled at him and ruffled his hair, glad that he finally made his own decision. "That works for me, kiddo. I think I saw a kid's clothing shop over here somewhere..."

The two of them wandered around the mall, gaining a couple of baffled looks from strangers as they made their way to their destination. Finally, they entered the shop they were looking for, which was a moderately sized room filled with all sorts of children's clothes, including shirts, pants, shoes, and anything else they needed.

A teenage girl at the register didn't look up as they entered. "Can I help you?" She asked, examining her nails as she spoke.

"No thank you, we have it covered," Bruce replied immediately, but the girl didn't seem to care either way. She made a vague humming noise in response, but didn't make any other indication that she heard them. Well then.

Not wasting any time, Bruce brought Dick over to a clothing rack, and went through the different styles of jeans they had. Eventually, he was able to pull out the smallest sized pants they had, and held it up to Dick to check if they would possibly fit. "Well, these look like they're in your size," he noted, and proceeded to pull every pair of jeans they had in that same size. "Hm... This might be enough for now. Why don't you go try these on?"

Dick was rooted in place, staring at the assortment of pants with very wide eyes. Bruce was initially confused by his reaction, but then he remembered that Dick didn't have much, and that this was most likely a shock to him. "Hey, you don't have to wear the same outfit anymore, okay? I want you to have a lot more clothes than you used to." He saw the way Dick's face scrunched up in confusion, but he seemed to accept it, much to Bruce's relief. "Thank you. Okay, so I'm going to lead you to the dressing rooms so that you can try them on. While you're at it, make a stack of the jeans you want to keep. I'll be waiting outside, okay?"

For a second, Dick's eyes came to life with pure terror, and the boy let out a low whine before tightening his death grip on Bruce's sleeve, burying his face into the side of Bruce's shirt.

"Dick, what's wrong?" He asked gently, and Dick only repeated his whining noise in response. "Hey, I can't help if you don't give me an idea of what's going on. Please, chum?"

Bruce froze, his last word still at the tip of his tongue. Did he really just call Dick chum? The word that his own father had called him? It had seemed so natural to do so, but now that he did, Bruce couldn't help but feel taken aback. Dick was _not_ his son, and he definitely did not think of him as one, not yet. Well, that's what he had thought, until he started spitting out nicknames. What was it about Dick that brought out the parental instincts that Bruce didn't know he had?

"..." Dick finally removed himself from Bruce's side, biting his lip as he looked up at him. And then, his eyes flickered to the door, and then back to Bruce, all in a split second and too fast for most people to catch. But Bruce was not like most people; he was a master at silent communication, and as a result, he knew exactly what was bothering Dick.

"I'm not going anywhere," he assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently. "I'll be waiting right outside the dressing room doors. Okay?" Dick gave him a small nod, though he still looked as though he was afraid Bruce was going to abandon him the first chance he had. Bruce mentally sighed, wishing the kid had a little more faith in him. But still, it couldn't be helped, and Bruce had to accept that he wouldn't fully trust him for a while. "Well, let's get going."

Later, Bruce found himself standing outside of a changing room, patiently waiting for Dick to reappear. Every once in a while, the silence would make him nervous, and he would ask for Dick to knock on the door if he was okay, to which the boy always complied. This seemed to soothe Dick as well, for speaking every once in a while let the child know that he was still present.

After a few minutes, Dick finally emerged with a giant stack of pants balancing in his arms. Bruce immediately took the clothing from him before he could drop them, and set them down on a nearby bench. It looked like Dick approved of all of the jeans he tried on, much to his relief. The more clothes he had, the better.

"Okay kiddo, thumbs up for shirts, thumbs down for shoes." Dick again gave him a thumbs up, and Bruce brought him to a rack of tee-shirts. "I doubt you'll need anything fancy or warm right now, since it's getting close to summer. Is this alright with you?" He looked down at Dick, but to his alarm, he wasn't there. Bruce's head shot up and he was just about to go into a full fledged panic, but he quickly saw his ward standing in front of the super hero merchandise. "Of course..." he muttered to himself, before joining the boy. "So, you're a fan of heroes?" Dick nodded excitedly, and Bruce fought the urge to groan. "Well, why don't you take a couple of these shirts then?"

As soon as he gave the word, Dick was pulling items off of the shelves, and had three different Batman shirts in his hands before Bruce could even blink. He then turned to a Superman shirt, and frowned at it as if trying to recognize it. Oh boy. "That's, uh, Superman's symbol," he said, trying to hide his distaste for it. "He's a very famous hero. He can fly, has super strength, and heat vision." Dick's eyes lit up and he took the Superman shirt as well, before moving down to the next item. Bruce sighed, "That's The Flash's symbol. He's a speedster, meaning he has super speed."

They continued on, with Bruce explaining the basics of each Justice League member, and Dick deciding to keep every shirt he came across. Bruce wanted to explain to him that wearing these kinds of shirts in Gotham was like putting a target on his chest, but he didn't want to do anything to erase that bright smile on Dick's face. This was the first time Bruce had seen him so happy, and he wasn't about to be the one to rain on his parade.

Eventually, Dick found yet another Batman shirt, and to his confusion he rose it in front of Bruce for an explanation. "I thought you already knew about Batman." Dick simply stared at him, waiting. "Well, he's the hero of Gotham City. He doesn't have any powers, so he uses a variety of gadgets to put bad guys behind bars."

Dick looked away from him, a small reminiscent smile on his face. Bruce assumed he was remembering the time Batman rescued him, but to his surprise, Dick slowly brought his shirt in front of Bruce's chest and held it there. Their gazes met, and Dick's eyes now held _knowledge_ , and Bruce was thrown off guard so much that he could only stare right back.

"...I think that's enough hero shirts," he muttered, clearing his throat to hide his unease. Did Dick just silently tell him that he knew his secret? That was a problem he wasn't up to addressing just yet. "Let's get you some normal shirts, shoes, socks, and whatever else you might need. And then, lunch."

The two of them proceeded to look through the remaining areas they have not yet been in, and had Dick try on an abundance of clothing. The boy was utterly exhausted by the time they finally got to the point of buying him underwear and socks, and that was when Bruce decided that they were done clothes shopping for the day. After the amusing struggle of bringing all of the stacks of clothing to the register, and enjoying the shocked eyes of the teenage girl when she finally realized who she was, the two of them journeyed to the food court to meet up with Alfred.

"Oh my," was the first thing the butler said as he caught sight of the number of plastic bags Bruce carried to their seats. "I see Master Dick was treated to the full experience of shopping with a Wayne."

Bruce set the bags down next to the table, and caught the surprised gazes of the other shoppers in the mall, all of their eyes moving between him, the amount of bags on the floor, and the small boy clinging to his arm. "Did I buy too much?" He asked quietly, fearing that he might have overwhelmed Dick with the amount of things he bought.

"Perhaps you were a little too excited, Master Bruce," Alfred said with an amused twinkle in his eye. "But I don't suppose Master Dick is unhappy with the items he purchased, are you sir?" Dick quickly shook his head, holding a Batman sweater close to his chest as he looked at the other shoppers warily. "Hm. Well, what is it you wish to eat? While you take your seats, I will order your food."

"Thanks, Alfred. I haven't had pizza in a while. What do you say, Dick?" At his ward's nod, Bruce turned to Alfred. "Since I have no idea what he likes, I think normal cheese pizza should be fine for now, for the both of us. And soda would be nice. Dick, do you like Pepsi?" Another nod. "Okay, then two of those."

Alfred did not look pleased by the junk food they chose to eat, but he did not argue. He knew just as much as Bruce that Dick _needed_ something that would help him gain weight, and they could worry about balancing his meals once he was settled in. For now, pizza would have to suffice. "Very well. I shall return momentarily." He stood and gave the two of them a half smile before striding towards the small line in front of the pizza vender.

Bruce took a seat across from where Alfred had sat, and watched Dick hesitate before taking the seat next to him. Good, he didn't have to convince him to sit in a seat again. That looked like improvement. "So, how long have you known?" He asked quietly, referring to when Dick showed off his knowledge on who his guardian really was. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't all that surprising that Dick found out so quickly. In the short amount of time Bruce has known him, Dick never once showed signs of being anything but bright, and if anyone was going to connect the dots between Batman and Bruce Wayne, it would definitely be the kid who had been rescued by both.

"..." Dick shrugged slightly, a sheepish smile resting on his face as he ducked his head. Bruce didn't miss the way he edged away from him in his chair, and had to fight back a frustrated sigh. Just when he thought he was making progress...

"I'm not mad at you, Dick. I wasn't expecting you to be kept in the dark for more than a few days at the most. It wasn't my intention to keep it a secret from you." That wasn't entirely true; Bruce wouldn't have said a single word if Dick didn't figure it out for himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust Dick to keep his secret, but having the knowledge of who Batman was certainly would put his ward in a considerate amount of danger. He wanted to help Dick, not hurt him even more. "I trust that you won't tell anyone, right?"

If he didn't know any better, he would have said Dick almost laughed at that, and he realized how stupid he must have sounded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" he groaned and ran a hand over his face. Wow, that sounded like he was making fun of Dick for being a mute. This is why he was hesitant about being a parent in the first place, he was terrible at it.

Dick pulled him out of his thoughts by putting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. Bruce looked up and met his eyes. 'I'm just as lost as you are, don't worry," the boy seemed to silently tell him with a grimace. And Bruce realized that was true. Dick had been through so much, he didn't even remember what it was like to be a wanted member of a family. Right now, the two of them were struggling just as much as the other was, trying so desperately to understand how to accept their new roles. Bruce was learning how to be a parent for the first time, and Dick was trying to remember what it was like to be a true child again.

Maybe Bruce _did_ make a good decision when he adopted Dick. The two of them were so messed up in their own ways, they might be able to find a way to put each other back together again. They were like two puzzle pieces that were separated from their original pictures, but maybe in time they could create a new one, together.

Maybe they could heal each other's scars.

xXx

 **AN: So like I mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, I noticed that there are quite a few people reading this book. And on top of that, I got so many reviews from a variety of people. But since I'm too awkward to reply to most of them, I want everyone to know that I do appreciate all of your kind words. Just seeing all of those comments is enough inspiration for me to continue writing this book. So thank you. 3**

 **Anyways, that's it for now. I hope to see you next chapter!**


	4. Shopping Trip Part Two

It was difficult to come to terms with how much Dick's life had changed in the span of two days. He literally went from rags to riches, a big step that gave him a suffocating feeling in his chest. There were so many new things he was not yet used to: having his own bed, eating at the table, being given new clothes... but the hardest thing to get used to was the lack of violence.

The absence of frightful events made him slightly suspicious, and even more apprehensive that his fantasy world with Bruce would crumble. A rich man like him had no reason to suddenly take in a burden like Dick, especially since he was secretly _Batman,_ of all people. Even if Batman had been the one to rescue him from Tony, it didn't make sense for him to adopt him. Dick wouldn't be useful to him at all, he was worthless.

So the question was, what exactly did Bruce want from him?

As Dick mulled over his thoughts, Bruce turned to him and frowned at his untouched food. "You haven't eaten any of your pizza. Do you not like it?"

Dick froze in his tracks, instinctively bracing himself for some kind of punishment. It took him a second to remember that he was no longer with Tony, who would have beat him to the ground if he showed even the slightest disgust towards food that he was given. _Bruce_ claimed that he would never hurt him... Still, Dick didn't want to risk angering his guardian when he had been nothing but kind so far. So with that in mind, he quickly shook his head.

"Are you sure? If you don't like pizza, you don't have to eat it. I will buy you something else if you want." Uneasy with the suggestion, Dick repeated his earlier action. Bruce's frown deepened immediately, much to Dick's discomfort. Did he give him the wrong answer? "Aren't you hungry?" Bruce asked softly, not sounding like he agreed with Dick's decision to not eat.

Dick looked at his plate of pizza, and his stomach immediately protested against the thought of eating. It had been so long since he has eaten more than one meal in a day, and his stomach shrank to the point that he didn't think he would be able to pull it off. But, Bruce wanted him to eat... It couldn't hurt to _try_ to make him happy.

Still sickened by the food in front of him, but unwilling to upset his guardian, Dick picked up his pizza and took a couple of small bites. His stomach rebelled instantly.

But it was worth it, because Bruce's frown had disappeared. "Okay kiddo, if you're done eating then why don't we go to the toy store?" Bruce asked after noticing that he was unable to eat any more. "I'll bring these bags to the car and meet you and Alfred at the shop. How does that sound?"

Dick looked at Alfred, who gave him a warm and reassuring smile, but it had the opposite effect of what was intended. Dick's heart sank, and he involuntarily let out a low whine, scooting closer to Bruce to grab his sleeve. He didn't want to be left alone with Alfred. Dick could barely trust Bruce, the man who saved him. But _Alfred_? The man was intimidating, and while Bruce claimed he would never lay a hand on him, his butler never made that same promise. He didn't know if Alfred even _liked_ him.

"Hey, don't be like that..." Bruce gently pulled away from his grip. Dick immediately retreated and grabbed his Batman sweater, needing some sort of physical object to comfort him. Bruce and Alfred shared a look of alarm, one that made Dick even more nervous. "Dick, you have to get used to being alone with Alfred, because you'll be seeing him often while I'm at work. I promise you that he'll take care of you, but you have to trust him. Can you do that?"

The first response that came to Dick's mind was an immediate 'no,' but he fought against replying right away, and chose to study Alfred instead. If Bruce needed him for something Batman related later on, that meant that it wouldn't be logical for Alfred to harm him. He hoped that was a sound assumption anyway... He wasn't quite sure that he would be able to say no to Bruce, but having a sense of security made him feel a little more relaxed about the idea.

Dick hesitantly nodded in consent, and Bruce was instantly relieved. "Thanks, Dick. You're being very brave right now, learning to trust other people." Bruce then stood, ruffling Dick's hair absently. The action made the boy pause, hit with a feeling of uncertainty. That was almost like... Affection? But that couldn't be so. This was a temporary arrangement between them, wasn't it? But then why would Bruce feel affectionate towards him? Unless... _That_ was his motive? But he said he that wouldn't! Then again, he could have lied. Everyone lies.

Dick suddenly felt ill.

"Master Dick, are you alright?" Alfred suddenly asked. Dick blinked once, realizing that Bruce had already left them. He must have been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice. "Well, if you would like to now, we may go ahead to the toy shop. Shall we?" Dick sighed and nodded, pushing his chair back and scrambling up to his feet. The butler gave him a once over, frown forming on his face. "You needn't be afraid of me, Master Dick. I may keep Master Bruce in line, but I would never do a thing to harm you. Master Bruce and I only want to give you a better life. I apologize if it seems as though we are pushing you too much. See, neither of us are the ideal candidates for taking care of a child. So please bare with us."

Dick was taken aback by the sudden statement. He suddenly felt like hitting himself behind the head; why did he jump to the conclusion that Alfred and Bruce only wanted him around for their own sick gain? They had both been kind to him. Neither of them did a single thing to him that would warrant those thoughts. But Dick was not used to this kind of treatment, and it was hard to accept that it was all meaningful, that it wasn't a grand scheme to trick him. Living with Tony for the last two years did a number on his ability to trust, like Bruce had said. He needed to be brave and take a leap of faith for his new family. He had to learn how to trust the two of them, at least.

Sucking in a deep breathe, Dick shuffled over to where Alfred stood, his head bowed as he came to a stop by his side. His pulse was racing at this time, and his instinct was to cower away from the male and find safety, but he ignored both feelings. Deep breaths, he told himself, but struggled to do so.

Alfred suddenly put a hand on his shoulder, which made him automatically flinch away. The man gazed down at him sadly, but was not angry at the action, which was a blessing in Dick's eyes. "Thank you for trying, Master Dick. You truly are being brave this morning." He wore a sad smile, and gestured towards the shops behind him. "Come on, then. You will enjoy shopping for toys, I should think. I find that all children share that aspect." He waited for Dick to approach him, and began to walk with him in the direction of the toy store.

Halfway there, they ran into a crowd of hurrying shoppers. Dick automatically shifted himself towards Alfred, this time clinging onto the man's sleeve instead of Bruce's, but finding that it had the same calming effect. If Dick looked past the scary exterior the elderly man wore, he could see that Alfred felt almost as safe as Bruce did.

Neither of them noticed the man tailing them from afar.

xXx

After Bruce had stored Dick's many new items in the trunk of his car, he hurriedly made his way to where he knew the toy store was. He was admittedly worried about the child he left alone with his butler, the chances of him freaking out while he was gone were high. Maybe it wasn't a smart idea, asking Dick to forge a bond with a person he wasn't entirely comfortable with. The second he realized how unfair he was being, Bruce decided to half jog to the toy store, the image of Dick crying at the surface of his mind. Oh god, what did he do?! That was the worst mistake he could have made!

By the time he made it to the toy store, his heart was racing. The worst scenario he could come up with? If Dick started panicking because he was afraid of Alfred, he would flee to find safer grounds. After that, it could take Bruce and Alfred hours to find him in such a big mall! Even worse, someone could try to kidnap a child they see by themselves. If that were to happen, then-

Bruce's unjustified worrying was cut short when he finally entered the toy shop, and he found Dick and Alfred happily searching through a mountain of stuffed animals. Bruce stopped in the entryway, only able to stare at the two as Alfred encouraged Dick to choose one, and Dick flushed as he searched through the abundance of toys. Huh, it looked like Bruce was concerned for nothing; Alfred and Dick seemed to have bonded during the five minutes he was gone.

"Ah, Master Bruce," His butler greeted when he saw him lingering at the entrance. Dick paused and looked in his direction as well, a cloud of unease disappearing from his eyes. He wasn't completely comfortable with Alfred yet, Bruce assumed, judging by the amount of relief Dick showed when his guardian had arrived. Well, at least they connected a little bit. It would take longer for him to fully trust anyone, and he didn't need to be rushed. "Master Dick and I are tending to his need for a nighttime companion. Perhaps an animal would fend off any future nightmares. Would do you think?"

He had to hand it to Alfred for knowing about last night's occurrence without speaking to either if them. It didn't take the World's Greatest Detective to deduce that Dick would be haunted by his experiences for many months. Even Bruce had assumed that the nightmares would be recurring, but he never stopped to think of a solution for them. "I say we try whatever we can come up with," he agreed, walking over to them and kneeling down next to Dick. "Do you see one that you like?"

The boy flushed red and scooted away from him, frowning at the pile of animals with a shake of his head. "...Peanut..." he mumbled, hugging himself as he turned his gaze to the ground.

The rare sound of his voice caught Bruce off guard. "Peanut?" He echoed, confused by the vague reply. "Are you still hungry?" Dick's frown deepened at the question, and he gave another shake of the head. "...I'm sorry kiddo, but I have no idea what you want."

Dick only sighed in response, and turned away from the pile. Still confused, Bruce climbed back up to his feet and thought of a way to cheer him up. "I'm sorry that we haven't come to an understanding about what you want with peanuts, but why don't you find some toys you're interested in? You don't need a stuffed animal if you don't want one." Dick looked uncertain, but Bruce smiled reassuringly. "We'll be right here if you need us. Go as far away from us as you're comfortable. We won't leave you here, I promise."

Dick gave him a piercing look, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought it over in his head. Bruce waited patiently for his answer, not wanting to push the boy in either direction. Dick had to learn to make decisions on his own, and had to do things at his own pace. If Bruce made all of his choices for him, he would never recover from his past. He would only learn to rely on Bruce's word, and that's not what he wanted. He wanted Dick to grow into a free, independent adult with his past discarded behind him. This would be a first step.

"..." Dick slowly turned around and faced one of the toy shelves, then spun around to face Bruce and Alfred again. After a few more seconds of staring, he seemed to have decided that they wouldn't leave him, and hesitantly drifted to a nearby aisle. He remained within sight of the two men, for his own reassurance and theirs, and began to look at the collection of unique items.

Bruce sighed in relief. There, he was beginning to actually trust them. That was a good sign. "I see he's not completely terrified of you anymore," he told Alfred quietly, keeping his voice low.

"Not completely, but still taking his time to warm up to me," the butler replied in a light tone. One would think he didn't mind it, but living with the man for the majority of his life made Bruce learn how to pick up on his underlying emotions. Alfred didn't show it, but he was saddened that Dick wasn't as close to him as he was with Bruce.

"Give him time, he'll come around. I don't even have his full trust yet; he still thinks I'm going to leave him the first chance I get." Bruce shook his head. "He also, uh, figured out my secret."

"...Master Dick did?!" Alfred turned to face him, eyes wide. "You mean to tell me a ten year old boy made connections that the entire population of Gotham has spent years speculating?!"

Bruce turned to him as well, face serious. "Dick is not a idiot, he was bound to figure it out eventually, I wasn't expecting it to happen so soon, but there's nothing we can do about it now." He sighed deeply. "I'm not worried about him knowing my secret, I'm worried about how well I'm doing in this situation. He knows that I'm secretly his hero, and I thought that would have helped him trust me, but he's still afraid. That must say a lot about what kind of parent I am turning out to be."

To his surprise, Alfred's eyes sparked with fury. "Don't you dare give up on this boy, Bruce!" He snapped. "You are wrong, you have proven my previous doubts unnecessary, for you have become a far better parent than I could have ever imagined. Most adults would not know how to handle a traumatized boy such as Dick, but you have given him the exact environment he needs. This morning at breakfast is a good example; you showed patience and kindness towards him, and best of all, you have introduced him to the concept of choice. Do you honestly think anyone else in this damned city could do a better job?!"

Bruce was shell shocked by the sudden exclamation, and he found that he didn't know what to say. "I- you-" he cleared his throat, and started again. "...Maybe you have a point," he said sheepishly, shaking his head to rid his self conscious thoughts. "I'm new at all of this, Alfred. I can't help but think that I'm not the ideal person to take care of Dick."

"Having those thoughts only confirms my beliefs, Master Bruce," Alfred said hotly. "It means that when you make a mistake, you will learn from it. Many parents believe themselves to be perfect at raising their children, and as a result they never accept that they are capable of any wrongdoings." He turned his body, and a small smile formed. "Besides, it is Master Dick's opinion of you that matters, and I have a decent idea of what that may be."

Bruce turned around too, and felt his face heat up when he saw Dick; the boy was standing in front of a mirror, hands on his hips and the biggest grin mankind has ever seen. Over the top half of his face was a plastic Batman cowl, and a flimsy cape was attached to his shoulders. The sight of the boy's visible joy made Bruce's resolve strengthen- Dick liked him, and that was all that mattered. "Halloween will be fun," he muttered under his breath, and Alfred sent him an amused look.

"Seeing a Batboy in the Manor will be an enjoyment for all three of us," the butler replied, eyes shining. "And perhaps in the far future, we'll have one more protector in the streets of Gotham. For the less dangerous crimes, of course."

The comment made Bruce freeze like a deer caught in headlights. The first thing he imagined was the sight of his ward lying in a dark alley, a dark costume stained with a flood of red liquid. He saw his enemies standing over the body, grinning at him, taunting him as his child joined the list of people Bruce had lost to the criminals of Gotham...

"Batman works alone," Bruce said sternly, no longer amused. Now, all he wanted to do was rush over to Dick and tear the costume away from him. Was that what he was doing, unintentionally giving this _child_ the idea to become a hero? He couldn't do that to him, couldn't take away the life he had ahead of him. The criminals of Gotham City would tear Dick to pieces the second they laid their eyes on him. How would that help him come to terms with what Zucco did to him? "Don't bring that up in front of him, Alfred," Bruce warned, watching a store worker lug an armful of boxes towards the hero shelves that Dick was playing by. "If he gets that idea in his head, he won't let go of it. It's best he doesn't get drawn to my other job."

He expected for Alfred to agree. The butler had fought tooth and nail when Bruce first became Batman, after all. But surprisingly, the man gave him a look of disapproval. "Master Bruce, don't you think-"

His sentence was drowned out by the sound of a blood curdling scream.

Bruce immediately whipped his head around to face the source of the noise, but stopped in his tracks once he had done so. Dick, cowl on the floor and cape in a disarray, had his back pressed against one of the toy shelves, staring up at one of the employees with a look of utter terror. Tears streamed down his face and his knees shook uncontrollably. It did not take long before he collapsed in a sobbing mess, curling into himself as the worker loomed over him threateningly.

Within seconds, Bruce was in between them, and giving the employee the deadliest look he could manage, a glare that had the power of intimidating most of Batman's enemies. "What do you think you're doing?!" He shouted, holding himself in a way so that he was now towering over him. "What did you do to him?!"

The sinister look Bruce thought he saw was nonexistent, a friendly expression there in its place. "I didn't do anything, sir," he said calmly, far too calmly for someone under the burning gaze of the most feared hero in America. "My job is to stock the shelves and help customers when I can. I noticed your son's cape was a little short for him, and I offered to find him another one, but he freaked out and started to cry."

Bruce looked behind him, where Alfred was gingerly helping Dick up into a sitting position. The boy was still in hysterics, shaking his head wildly as he clung to the front of Alfred's suit. Bruce narrowed his eyes at the behavior; Dick never acted like that when he met him and Alfred. He didn't act like that when he met the cashier at the clothing store either.

The employee's story didn't add up.

"What's going on?" Another worker approached them from the other side of the aisle, wearing a silver vest instead of a blue one. She looked at the crying boy on the ground, and then Bruce, finally looking at her fellow worker, lips pursed. "What happened? Why are you here?"

Bruce suppressed a growl. "Your employee did something to make my child cry, and I want to know what it was."

The girl's eyebrows came together, and she shook her head. "He doesn't work here, that uniform belongs to the guys across the hall. That's why I asked why he's- hey!"

Eyes wide, Bruce spun around, only to see that the man had fled the store, the back of his uniform disappearing into the crowd outside. Bruce instinctively surged forward to give chase, but came to a halt when Alfred called after him. "Master Bruce, now is not the time!" Bruce paused and faced him, eyes immediately finding the hyperventilating Dick. "He is having a panic attack, you need to help him!"

Panic attack?! How the hell did someone help with that?! Bruce looked behind him one last time, eyes narrowed. That man tried to do something to Dick, and now he was expected to let him get away with it?!

"I'll call security, Mister Wayne, don't you worry!" The woman announced, fleeing the aisle with a walkie talkie pressed to her ear. Her words made the other shoppers in the store pause, and whispers were shared as the bystanders' eyes drifted towards Bruce and his crying child. It seemed like no one had recognized him while he had Dick around, no one expected for someone like him to be shopping for a kid- his kid.

The same kid that needed him at the moment. "Dick," he said softly, returning to his side and gently scooping him off of the ground. "I'm going to get you out of here where these people can't bug you, okay?" He received no response, which was worrying, but Bruce was more focused on getting him out of that place as soon as possible. "Deep breaths, kiddo," he said softly, holding him close to him as he and Alfred left the store, and took the five minute walk outside. Many shoppers stopped in their tracks and stared at them, the news of Bruce Wayne's apparent son spreading around like a virus. That made it more difficult to make it outside, but they were able to exit without too much of a hassle.

"Okay, Dick..." Bruce opened the back door to his car, and set the sobbing child onto the seat. The second he let go, Dick suddenly lunged forward and

grabbed the fabric of his shirt, burying his face in his guardian's chest as he continued to cry. "Hey, hey, it's okay. He's gone now. You're safe, I promise." Bruce gently scooted him over and sat besides him, pulling him closer to him with one arm. "Shh, it's okay, you're okay. It's just you, me, and Alfred. Neither of us are going to let anyone get you."

Dick took in shuddering gasps as he tried to calm himself, but it took several minutes before he was able to cease shaking. Bruce quietly told him reassuring words as he struggled to control his crying, but he wasn't sure what it was that he said. He was sure that he was rambling about the measures he would take to keep Dick safe, but he didn't know if his words helped or not. What did one say to someone having a panic attack?!

Eventually, Dick's sobs were reduced to sniffles and hiccups, but he still clung to Bruce for an anchor, and the man allowed him to without a second thought. If his presence was helping, even in the slightest bit, then Bruce would remain glued to his side without any hesitance.

"Master Bruce..." Alfred appeared in the car doorway, forehead wrinkled with concern. "If he is calm enough, shall I start the car?"

Bruce looked down at Dick, only to find the boy's sleeping face pressed against his side. He cried himself to sleep... "He's not awake anymore, I think this would be the best time to start driving." He ran his free hand through his hair. "This incident must have really shook him, I've never seen him like that. How long has he been crying for?"

"Twenty three minutes, sir," Alfred said gently, circling around the side of the car to climb into the driver's seat, where he started the ignition. "I do believe that this is a sign that Master Dick's emotional trauma runs deeper than we thought. We must act, and find him some sort of counselor. While you have provided him and excellent source of comfort, neither of us are capable of bringing him to the path of recovery, not without outside help."

"A counselor?" Bruce thought back to when he was a child. Alfred didn't know how to help him grieve for his parents, so he hired many therapists to do that task in his place. That's what ignited Bruce's distant personality: the medications he was prescribed, the mental diagnoses, the gentle words, they all drove him to the point where he wanted nothing to do with anyone. He did not want Dick to experience the same lonely feeling he had back then. "If we find a therapist, psychologist, or any other form of counseling, we are not leaving him to his own devices. He doesn't need to be isolated."

"Right you are, sir," Alfred mumbled as he pulled out of the parking lot, carefully avoiding looking at the review mirror so he didn't have to meet Bruce's unwavering gaze. "The mistakes I have made in the past should not be repeated."

Oh, so now Alfred was admitting his wrongdoings? Huh, it only took about _twenty years_. Bruce wanted to do nothing more than give the butler a scathing comment, but refrained. This wasn't about him, it was about Dick. All he could do now was ensure that this child didn't go through the same thing he did. "If he's going to see a professional, it has to be someone trustworthy. Extensive research will have to be made so we can find someone that cares for their patients, someone that doesn't treat people like they're only a part of their job..." He frowned. "It could take months to find the right person."

"I must disagree on that list bit, sir. We already know the perfect candidate." Alfred saw Bruce's puzzled face through the review mirror's reflection, and smiled in amusement. "I might be wrong, but Batman knows a skilled counselor in the Justice League."

"...You mean Dinah." Bruce narrowed his eyes, reviewing the information he had gathered on Black Canary. "I would have to reveal my identity to her in that case, and I can't trust her to not blab about it to Green Arrow."

"It seems that you and Master Dick both need to take a leap of faith, in that case." Alfred shook his head. "If he were to notice your lack of trust for your teammates, do you think he will be willing to do the opposite? You are his guardian, his role model. He will mimic your actions, and if you want to do right by him, you will show him how to learn to trust."

Bruce dug his fingernails into his pant leg, the thought of trusting someone like Black Canary making him want to hit something. But unfortunately, Alfred had a point. Why would Dick think trust was important if his guardian never did? That wouldn't set the right example, and the last thing Bruce wanted was to turn Dick into a miniature version of him. "Fine, I'll contact Dinah. While I do that, you can see if you can't get any answers out of Dick." Bruce looked down at the sleeping child again, frown deepening. "I have a feeling that he somehow knew the man that approached him today. For all we know, Zucco might have told his underlings to tie up his loose ends while he's in prison."

Alfred's eyes flashed at 'loose ends,' but he controlled his composure. "I will do what I can." His eyes returned to the road. "I don't suppose any of this will end well, will it?"

Bruce let out a sharp exhale, running his fingers through Dick's hair before pulling away. "Nothing ever ends well in my life, Alfred..." He turned his head towards his window. "And now, this is his life too. We can only hope that whatever happens, it won't do too much damage."

He knew that was only wishful thinking. _Nothing_ went right when Bruce became attached to someone, and Dick somehow managed to worm his way past his walls. And now, the universe would do what it always did, and find a way to take him away.

Someone was apparently targeting Dick, and Bruce wasn't sure he was able to protect him. Just when he was starting to see some light in his world, too...

xXx

 **AN: Er, this chapter kind of sucks, but I'm a little rusty at the moment, so it's to be expected. But, I will slowly get better (probably), so please bare with me until then xD**

 **Thank you all for your votes and comments from my last real chapter. A couple of you probably noticed that it suddenly cut off at the end. That is because A) My phone glitches out when I write too much and B) The chapter would have been too long if I combined it with this one. A part one and two was the only solution I could think of, so here we are.**

 **Anyways... I think that's all I have to say. See you all next time!**

 **-Ari**


	5. Chapter 5

**"Recognized, Black Canary-"**

"Batman, I just received your message," Dinah said loudly as she entered the Bat Cave, mouth set in a worried grimace. "What's the emergency?! You weren't specific when you..." She finally caught sight of the man sitting at the Bat Computer, and Bruce nearly smirked when he saw her eyes widen. "...Bruce Wayne."

"Yes," he confirmed, standing up. It had taken him a few hours to convince himself to reveal his identity to Dinah, but after Dick had woken up it didn't take him long to realize that he didn't have a another choice. The second Dick woke up, he became a lot more closed off than usual; he wouldn't even nod or shake his head when Bruce asked him a question. This behavior wasn't healthy, and Bruce knew that he would have to take Alfred's advice eventually.

So there he was, nonchalantly raising his eyebrows at the baffled expression of one of his teammates.

"I take it that _you're_ Batman?" She asked, and Bruce nodded shortly in response. Canary's baffled expression fell into an amused one. "Of course you are... You always have to find a way to mess with everyone's heads." She shook her head, placing a hand on her hip. "So, what did you call me here for? I take it has something to do with your civilian ID?"

"In a way..." Bruce's small smirk vanished altogether. "I know someone who needs your help as a therapist; they have been through quite a lot, and you were the only person that came to mind when it was decided that they needed someone who knew what they were doing."

"This person must be special if you revealed your identity to me, and also started complimenting me." Canary still wore her smile, but Bruxe could sense a level of seriousness behind her words. Good, she was already proving that he wouldn't regret his decision. "Who will I be speaking to?"

Bruce paused; no one in the Justice League was aware of the child he took in, not even Clark. "...Have you been keeping up with Gotham News?"

She shook her head. "No, especially if it had something to do with you. No offense, but I was never a fan of Bruce Wayne. You really know how to keep up the 'alcoholic idiot' act, you know."

"I'm aware of this," he said dryly. The only reason he ever acted in that way was so that he could put as much distance between Batman and Bruce Wayne as possible. The only person who ever managed to connect the dots between the two was a _ten year old._ "I recently took in a boy, Richard Grayson, as my ward. I saved him from an abusive criminal who kidnapped him two years ago, and he is greatly traumatized by what he went through."

The counselor blinked slowly. "How old is he?" She asked first, surprising Bruce. He was actually expecting for her to question his capability of parenting, ask what had driven him to take in, or something similar. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if she had made an immature comment like 'Batman, a father? Did hell freeze over?' but she proved him wrong. Maybe he underestimated her.

"He just turned ten," Bruce answered after he overcame his surprise. "But there's something else; the man that abused him punished him whenever he spoke, and now he is afraid to speak in general. He's selectively mute, and that might make it difficult for you to communicate."

Canary shook her head. "Selectively Mute is the incorrect term, that implies that he has an unexplained hesitancy to speak in social settings, but he has no qualms against speaking in familiar settings. From what you've described, Richard is actually suffering from Elective Mutism. That means that a traumatic event is preventing him from speaking, and he will not talk in any situation whatsoever. Does he speak to you or anyone else in the house?"

"Rarely," Bruce said gruffly, storing away this new information. He never found a need to study this branch of psychology before, but now he would have to learn as much as he could. He had been using the wrong term with Dick this far, but he would know better now. And maybe learning about his mutism would be useful while Bruce was trying to help Dick overcome his fears. Well... could he even do that? "Will Dick be able to move past his mutism?" He asked, somewhat fearful of the answer. He never considered that Dick might not be able to get better, and that thought made him nervous. Dick didn't deserve living his entire life in fear.

Canary smiled reassuringly. "Rich- Dick should be able to come to terms with what happened to him, and he will eventually be able to speak normally. However, he might never overcome shyness; he will speak, but he will probably be reluctant to talk to strangers, or in large groups. Not speaking for a long period of time creates that affect."

Shyness was something Bruce could live with. There were tons of people who were shy, after all. Dick wouldn't feel too isolated in that case. "That's good to hear..." He murmured, genuinely relieved to hear that. "Is there anything else I should know? I don't want to accidentally set his progress back by doing the wrong thing."

For a split second, Bruce caught a warm glint in Canary's eyes after he said that but it was gone before he had time to study it. "You have to be incredibly patient with him; don't get frustrated if he doesn't overcome his fear as fast as you would like. Also, nudge him in the direction of being able to speak. For example, don't constantly ask him yes or no questions, ask him things that would require for him to say something. But if he isn't able to answer you, don't push him too much."

...That sounded like what Bruce had already been doing. "I understand. So, are you able to be his counselor, at least for the time being?"

Dinah nodded, smiling warmly. "I would love to help in any way I can, and I am glad you thought to come to me with this. Is there any way I can meet Dick now? It would be a great idea if I was introduced to him before we schedule a session."

Bruce nodded slowly. "Dick was awake when I last saw him, and he seemed to have calmed down from what happened earlier." At Canary's startled look, he hurried to explain, "We went to the mall to purchase a few things for him, and some man at a toy shop somehow managed to completely terrify him. Dick had a panic attack, and he wouldn't calm down until he passed out due to exhaustion. My butler and I believe that Dick somehow knows that man, but he won't tell us anything. We don't even know what he did to him in the store."

"Poor child," Dinah said softly, shaking her head. "It sounds like he has had a terrible start to the day already. I would still like to meet him, if that's possible." Her eyes roamed around the Bat Cave for a second. "Have you told him about Batman yet?"

"I didn't have to, he figured it out earlier today," Bruce mumbled, his face heating up when Dinah rose her eyebrows at him. "He's an intelligent lad, I wasn't surprised that he figured it out..." He frowned. "I think he would be more open to meeting you if you stay in your hero uniform. Dick has an obsession with superheroes, and that might prevent him from panicking when he meets you."

"That works for me." Canary beamed at him. "Quick question: what does Dick think about Batman? If he likes superheroes, he must be a pretty big fan, huh?"

"Batman is his favorite hero, as far as I can tell," Bruce tried to keep the prideful tone out of his voice, but he couldn't help but want to boast about it. _He_ was Dick's favorite hero, and that made him unexplainably happy.

Canary's face suddenly lit up. "How adorable. Be sure that he understands that you're his parent before his hero, though. He does need to understand that you're the authoritative figure, and not just his friend. Even if Dick is timid, he can't be allowed to get what he wants all the time. Being his father is more important than being his hero."

"I'm not his father," Bruce said at once, suddenly uncomfortable with the subject. "...Let's hurry up and go upstairs. If we take too much time, we'll have to postpone dinner. He's upstairs with Alfred, let's go." He pointed to the staircase to the left of the computer, and led the way upstairs and into his study. Canary made no comment on his sudden desire to change the subject, ad silently followed behind until they both arrived at the living room.

There, Dick was sitting on the floor, contently watching Alfred mess with the television set. "Ah, Master Bruce. I see you have brought Ms. Dinah along," he said, backing away from the TV with a frown. Bruce didn't know why he bothered to try and turn it on, they both knew that it needed to be replaced. "Well if you'll excuse me, I have to finish preparing for supper. Call me if you need my assistance." He gave a small smile to Dick, and then left the room.

"Hey Dick," Bruce greeted, kneeling on the carpet next to him. The boy stared at him for a moment, then turned his gaze to Dinah, biting his lip nervously. "This is Dinah, a..." he paused. " _friend_ of mine. She was wondering if she could meet you. Is it okay with you if she says hi?"

Dick stiffened and shook his head, automatically shuffling closer to Bruce to hide from Dinah. "...Don't get rid of me," he whispered, and Bruce blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting for him to say anything, especially not something like that.

"Why do you think I'm getting rid of you? I would never do that," he assured, frowning as Dick scooted impossibly close to him.

"...Social worker..." he mumbled, eyeing Canary with distrust.

"She's not a social worker," Bruce said quickly, eyes wide. Why the hell would Dick automatically assume that Bruce brought in someone to take him away? Did he not stress that he would never get rid of him? "Dinah is truly one of my friends, Dick." He lowered his voice. "She's one of _Batman's_ friends."

Dick was taken aback by this new information, and he hesitantly peeked out of his hiding place to study Dinah, who gave him a friendly smile. A look of recognition flashed over his eyes, and his fear was replaced by awe. Yeah, he definitely saw some Black Canary merchandise when they were at the mall. Bruce figured that bringing up her hero identity would be a sure way to make him feel more relaxed.

And of course, he was correct.

"Hello Dick, it's nice to meet you." Dinah's smile did not waver as she came closer to the two, and stuck her hand out to the boy. Dick hesitantly took her hand, but quickly withdrew again. "You don't have to be shy around me, I promise. I would never do anything wrong." She watched Bruce stand up, and Dick hurriedly followed suit so that he could remain as close as he could to his guardian. "Bruce told me a lot about you. You don't have to worry about him leaving you, he cares about you a lot and would never want to get rid of you."

Her words made Bruce's face heat up, but it seemed to have a calming affect on Dick. The boy seemed to process these words for a moment, and then slowly stepped away from his guardian. His eyes remained on Black Canary the entire time, a strange curious expression on his face.

Dinah knelt down in front of him so that they were around the same height. "Bruce called me because he's afraid that he doesn't know how to help you, and he wants to see if you would like to talk to me about your feelings so that I can help you." Dick didn't look very enthusiastic about the idea, but Dinah did not let her calming expression change. "All you have to do is speak with me, once or twice a week. Talking about what happened to you might make you feel a lot better, and it could help you stop being afraid of who hurt you. I know you don't like speaking, but will you give it a try?"

Dick looked at Dinah, and then up at Bruce, searching for an answer there. But Bruce kept his expression neutral, not wanting to influence Dick's decision. Since Dinah confirmed his belief that Dick needed to learn how to make his own decisions, Bruce would be adamant about encouraging him to do so.

Finally... Dick looked at the ground, and nodded once.

Canary beamed at him, and lightly touched his shoulder, not phased when he flinched slightly. "Thank you, Dick. That is a very brave decision for you to make." She finally stood again, giving her hand for Dick to shake once again. "Bruce and I will talk about scheduling an appointment; it has to be during a day where neither of us are busy saving people. Why don't you come with Bruce as he shows me out?"

Bruce stiffened immediately. "Dick isn't allowed in the Bat Cave," he said at once, horrified at the thought. If he brought Dick down there, he would want to start doing things hero related, and Bruce didn't want to introduce him to that kind of environment. Dick was only ten, not even close to the age where it would be acceptable for him to want to become a hero. "Dick, why don't you go help Alfred in the kitchen while I show Dinah out?" The boy seemed slightly upset by this arrangement, but did not argue. He gave Dinah one last look before leaving the room, his footsteps carrying over to the kitchen.

"...Not allowed in the Bat Cave?" Dinah frowned at him. "I know I said that you need to be the authority figure, but I don't think keeping him away from that side of you will do any good. He already feels insecure without thinking that he's not good enough to be in the presence of Batman."

"That's not why I..." Bruce shook his head, frustrated. Why was everyone insisting that Dick should be involved in his hero life? Did they realize that he worked in one of the darkest cities in America? If Dick was pulled into his lifestyle, the criminals of Gotham would eat him alive! "I shouldn't have to explain myself to you. Let's go."

Dinah's frown deepened, but she did not comment. Instead, she followed Bruce out of the living room and through the complex halls of the Manor until they eventually found themselves in the Bat Cave once again. "Contact me tomorrow, and we'll discuss dates, times, and other necessary details," she told him. "But this time, please don't use the emergency alert system to contact me and interrupt my date. I know you have all the information you could ever need on me, I'm sure you have my phone number as well." She gave him a half attempt at a smile, still miffed about their earlier conversation, and then disappeared into the Zeta Tube.

Bruce ran a hand over his face, letting out a short sigh. Maybe Dinah was right, he could at least let Dick into the Bat Cave. And maybe he could introduce him to a few more Leaguers, as long as he understood that his place was a civilian, and that that would never change...

His phone began to vibrate in his pocket, cutting his thoughts first. He took it out and looked at the caller ID, eyebrows rising when he saw the name 'Barry Allen' on his screen. "Hello?" He asked as he answered, pressing the device against the side of his face. "What do you need, Allen?"

 _"Bruce, ohmygod!"_ Barry exclaimed right away. _"I just saw on the news that you have a kid and I thought that wasn't right so I did some research on him and I saw that his history and I have a nephew that I just took in that has similar history and-"_

"Barry, calm down," Bruce rubbed his temple with his spare hand. "From what I managed to hear, you heard from the news that I have a ward, and you figured out that he has a similar past to your nephew?" He frowned; Dick going through what he did was bad enough, but another kid went through something similar? The thought of more people harming children in that way sickened him.

 _"Yeah! But, uh, here'sthething... Wally- that's his name- didn't go through as much as your kid but it was enough for CPS to put him into his aunt's custody and you know, mine too..."_ Bruce could practically hear him bouncing around. _"And Wally found out about my_ _ **other job**_ _and he ended up creating a smaller replica of my experiment to give him super powers and I have no idea what to do! He wants to be my- I don't know- my sidekick?! But he's only twelve and I promised Iris that I would take care of him and she's already pissed that he has powers-"_

"Allen, you're going off topic. What exactly did you call me about?"

There was a pause. _"Ohyeah! Um, so Wally is definitely not going to be working with me but I figured this could be a great opportunity for him to make a friend! He is having problems with relating to his peers at school and it looks like he's starting to feel lonely. But now that he knows about me, and I'm betting your kid does too, I was wondering if we could possibly introduce them!?"_ Before Bruce could respond, he was speaking again, _"Please, Bruce?! The kid is going to kill me with his sad eyes!"_

"Shut up and let me think for a second." Bruce lowered the phone slightly, deep in thought. Dick has yet to meet any children his age, excluding those in the Juvenile Detection Center. This could be a great way for Dick to adjust to other children and prepare him for environments such as school. And since Barry's nephew was in a similar situation as Dick at some point, it might make it easier for him to befriend him. And since speedsters were known to be unable to shut their mouths, having Wally around might draw Dick out of his shell. "I don't see a problem with the idea. What do you-"

 _"Yes! Thankyousomuch!"_ Barry cheered. _"I take back all of the times I've ever called you heartless!"_

Bruce was running low on patience. "Bring your nephew over to the Manor tomorrow at eleven, Gotham time," he ground out, unable to deal with being interrupted every five seconds. "Goodbye, Barry." Before any other comment could be made, he quickly hung up.

Wally better not be as annoying as his uncle, or Bruce might not be able to keep the Batman side of him from throttling the both of them.

"It's all for Dick," he reminded himself, running a hand through his hair with a groan. "If it makes him happy, I can refrain from sending anyone to the hospital..."

xXx

 **AN: Thanks for all your reviews from last chapter. See you next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I know someone is probably wondering why I haven't been updating anything lately. I have one word that should explain my entire situation: Undertale (Sans, I'm looking at you .) Yeah, that's my only reason for being gone. xD**

 **Please enjoy this rare occasion that I actually update one of my stories~**

xXx

Despite Bruce's constant reassurance that he had nothing to worry about, Dick couldn't help but feel apprehensive about everything that was occurring. How could he not, when there were so many things happening at once?

First of all, he was supposed to meet the Flash's nephew today. Bruce had hoped that bringing the two of them together would create a friendship between them, and Dick had been sceptical at first, but Bruce said that their similar histories with child abuse might make it easier for them to connect. Apparently, Wally was being shunned in school for his past, and Dick knew the feeling. When he was in the Juvenile Detection Center, all the other boys did was make fun of him for what happened to him. But what if Wally didn't want to meet someone who didn't speak? How could they become friends if there was no communication involved?

Besides Wally, Dick still had the future therapy sessions with Dinah to worry about, and the thought of _speaking_ never failed to make his stomach do flip-flops. Yes, everyone was positive that Tony would never be able to harm him ever again, and assured him that he would be safe from harm from now on, but what about his associates?

The man they had encountered in the mall... he recognized him as one of the people who had worked with Tony before the man was went to prison. Dick felt his hands shaking at his sides as he recalled the amount of times they encountered each other, and had to say that he hated that man almost as much as he feared Tony. David Darrell was the name of the man, and he was just as much as an evil man as Dick's former kidnapper.

Anytime Darrell came around to discuss plans with Tony, he almost always became involved in whatever punishment that Tony decided to dish out for him. Anytime Dick saw Darrell come into his home, he knew that it was inevitable that he would be in a world of pain not too long later. And that became something that he learned to accept, as he had with the rest of the things he had been forced to experience.

But when he had gone to the mall with Bruce... On a certain level, he completely trusted the man and assumed that his presence meant that Dick had nothing to fear. But he had been wrong- Darrell still found him, and had told him that Tony wasn't planning on staying in prison for long, and that he had a few more tricks up his sleeve that would get him out. And when he did, the first thing he would do is go after Dick.

"Dick, are you okay?" Dick looked up from his cereal bowl. Across the table from him was Bruce, his usual expression of worry fitted over his face. Dick lowered his gaze slightly, still unable to make a decision on whether or not he should tell Bruce about Darrell. His new guardian told him time and time again that it would be impossible for Tony to hurt him again, so if he told him about Darrell then Dick knew what his response would be. He would tell him that he didn't have to worry, that everything would be okay.

And Dick didn't want any more false hope.

"...Yes," he mumbled, swirling the sugary cereal around in his bowl. He had decided to give Bruce the benefit of the doubt and begin speaking in his presence, but the action still made him uncomfortable. It had been so long since he had been encouraged to say anything, but Bruce had proven that he wouldn't hurt him. He could try to start speaking if it pleased him. After all, Bruce had been so kind to him during his stay. He had to pay him back somehow.

"You haven't eaten much," the man said gently, and Dick could feel him eyeing him from across the table, which made him fidget. "Are you sure everything's alright?"

Dick refused to meet his gaze. Should he tell him? If Bruce had the name of the man that somehow found him at the mall, then he could dress up as Batman and bring him to justice, right? Then the problem would be gone. Dick wouldn't have to worry about anyone else trying to harm him, and he could live the rest of his life in relative peace. He could move on from what happened to him.

But despite of the opportunity, Dick knew that it was all wishful thinking. There were other men out there that were under Tony's thumb, men that would carry out the man's orders even with him being locked away in prison. On top of that, Tony himself was a resourceful criminal that wouldn't allow himself to remain in prison for very long. And when Tony was free, the first thing he would do would be hunt Dick down and slit his throat to ensure that he would be unable to reveal anything. So why would it matter if Dick told Bruce about Darrell? If not him, someone else would attempt to murder him in his place. To save everyone the trouble, Dick would do what he did best: keep quiet.

"Not used to eating this much," he said quietly, hoping that the explanation would be good enough to steer Bruce away from any suspicions. And it wasn't a lie either; Dick couldn't remember the last time he had been given so much food on a regular basis. He wouldn't say it to his guardian's face, but consuming all of this food had left him with a queasy feeling in his stomach. He had no complaints about not starving, but he wished that Bruce and Alfred wouldn't expect him to eat so much.

"Well, you need to eat more." Bruce frowned at him, an action Dick barely saw due to the fact he was facing the table. "You're the size of an eight year old; your periods of starvation has kept your body from growing. Alfred and I are hoping that you'll continue to grow once you've returned to eating on a normal schedule."

Well, it did make sense... Dick chose not to reply, returning to his earlier action of swirling his cereal around his bowl. Maybe on another day he would care about his height, but he felt like he had bigger things to worry about at the moment. Now that he was thinking about it again, maybe he _should_ tell Bruce-

There was a knock on the door.

Bruce blinked once, standing. "I'll get it." He made one step towards the door that led out to the foyer, but he froze mid-step as said door flew open and a blur of red and yellow appeared in front of them.

"Hi, Bruce!" A blonde man with green eyes chirped, suddenly lunging forward to engulf him in a crushing hug. "Sorry if we're a little early! I was just so excited to get the two kids together-" His eyes fell on Dick at that instant, and the boy barely had a chance to blink before he was right next to him. "Is this him?! Bruce, he's adorable!" He beamed at Dick and ruffled his hair before returning to Bruce, gesturing towards the redhead he brought with him. "This is Wally West! He's just learning how to use his powers, but he's pretty fast! You should have seen him-"

"Barry, shut up," Bruce said gruffly, though he was studying the redhead named Wally. Dick mimicked him, watching the redhead intently. Wally was looking everywhere but at those who were present, an uncertain but friendly smile on his face. Bruce narrowed his eyes at him slightly, nodding in what seemed to be approval. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Wally." He turned to Dick. "When you're done with your cereal, you can..." he frowned as Dick immediately pushed his bowl away from himself, but he didn't comment or argue against it. "...Why don't you show Wally around?"

"...Okay," Dick said under his breath, unsure if anyone heard him or not. His palms were starting to feel sweaty as he approached Wally, struck with the nervousness of meeting someone new. He couldn't help but wonder how long Wally would last before he grew tired of trying to communicate with someone who was silent for the most part. Five minutes? Probably less, but knowing the Flash's nephew, he would politely put up with him for at least fifteen minutes.

Fifteen minutes... Dick could last that long.

Dick made a vague gesture towards Wally and left the room without any form of explanation, holding his breath as the older boy wordlessly followed him out of the room. "...Where do you want to go?" He asked, raising his voice slightly so that Wally could just barely hear him.

"Uh, anywhere I guess?" Wally rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I mean, this place is so big, I don't get how you know where to go!"

"..." Dick fought the urge to wince; he honestly had no idea what he was doing. He had only been at the Manor for three days, and didn't have enough time to fully explore his new home. Besides, it wasn't like he would be staying long anyways.

Bruce would get rid of him. Tony told him so. No one wanted him around, right?

But Bruce told him-

Ugh. All of this was so confusing... Dick didn't know who to believe anymore. On one hand, Dick had learned to accept Tony's each and every word as the truth. After his first six months in his mercy, that message had been brutally beaten into his skull. But on the other hand, Tony was out of the picture, and Dick now had a guardian that showed kindness towards him. Tony might have been manipulating him again. How could he know that everyone would hate him?

But then again, why would _anyone_ like him?

"Hey, Dick?" Wally called, and Dick snapped out of his trance. While he was lost in his thoughts, it seemed as though he led his new acquaintance into the living room. "Are you okay? You seem a little..." There was a pause, and Wally's eyebrows scrunched together in thought. "A-Am I making you uncomfortable? I m-mean, my uncle was the one that set this up, because I don't have many friends and he felt guilty..." He looked down, shuffling his feet. "I'm sorry if Mr. Wayne made you do this because he felt bad. You don't have to hang out if you don't want to. I understand."

Dick was so caught off guard that he momentarily forgot about his hesitance to speak. "I thought you wouldn't like me much," he admitted, looking away. "...I don't like speaking, and I thought..." he trailed off, looking anywhere but at Wally.

"You thought I wouldn't like you because you don't like speaking?" Wally finished, and Dick nodded in confirmation. "Dude, I thought you wouldn't like me because I speak too much!" He grinned at him. "Look, my uncle already told me why you don't like speaking. Someone really hurt you, right?" His smile became strained. "I get the feeling. I'm not going to hate you because of what someone did to you. Besides, I can do enough talking for the both of us!" He paused. "Erm, as long as you don't mind listening to me blab away."

Dick smiled and shook his head. "Go ahead..."

And that's how they spent the next hour; the two of them sat on the rug in front of the sofa (Dick was still uncomfortable sitting on furniture), and Wally chatted away while Dick gave him his undivided attention. It was actually nice, being in the company of someone around his age. Even if Dick didn't contribute to the conversation much, he was perfectly content just listening to what Wally had to say. He learned a lot about him in those short minutes: his favorite show, what video games he preferred, his full name, how many times he needed to eat during the day, and of course, his powers.

"Well, I started living with Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris after the police found out that my dad..." A distant look fell onto his face. "Uh, anyways, while I was staying there I did some snooping around- don't give me that look, I'm a curious kid- and I found my uncle's notebook. That's where he wrote about all of his adventures as the Flash! I was so excited when I found it; I had no idea that my uncle was a superhero! I thought he was just some lame forensic scientist.

"But anyways, I decided to try out my own version of his experiment with my own chemistry kit. There was an explosion that got me sent to the hospital- don't worry, I was okay-" he added after seeing Dick's concerned expression. "-after I was let out, it didn't look like I had any powers. But after a few days, my speed finally kicked in! And now I have super powers!" He beamed, but it fell into a frown after a couple seconds. "I keep asking him to train me to be a hero like him, but he keeps telling me that it's too dangerous for a kid like me..." He suddenly perked up. "What about you? I mean, I know you don't have powers, but how did you end up being adopted by _Batman_?! I mean, there has to be an awesome story behind that!"

Dick averted his eyes. "...Batman was the one who saved me from Tony- the man who..." he took a deep breath before continuing. "He saved me, and brought me to the hospital. He must have felt bad for me, because he adopted me as his ward a couple of days after I was sent to the Juvenile Detection Center..."

The fact that this had been the most he had said since his parents died was not lost to him.

"Juvy? Why would they send you there?!" Wally exclaimed, outraged by the idea. "You didn't do anything wrong! It wasn't your fault that some nut job was hurting you!"

Dick winced at that. He suddenly had the urge to defend Tony, but he had no idea why. "...You're right, but they must have thought that I did something wrong." He shrugged. "Tony always said I looked like a trouble maker, and he's never wrong."

"Well he was wrong this time, you are not a trouble maker!" Wally crossed his arms. "You're a nice guy that was picked on for no reason!"

No reason...

Dick felt a sudden stab of anger. "Tony hurt me because I deserved it!" He blurted out, jumping to his feet. "On the day that my parents died, I knew there was something wrong but I never said anything! I should have died with them on that night, but I didn't. I deserved everything that Tony ever did to me because I could have stopped them from dying!" Tears were escaping from his eyes due to a mixture of frustration and newfound sadness and guilt. " _I_ murdered them!" He put his hands over his eyes. "I murdered them..."

"D-Dick..." Wally was suddenly standing too, and Dick flinched away when he tried to grab his arm. "Dude..."

"Dick?! Wally?!" The sound of Bruce and Barry's voices threw Dick over the edge and he soon found himself on his knees again, shoulders shaking with uncontrollable sobs. Bruce and Wally knew what he did... Now they won't like him anymore.

"I don't know what happened!" He heard Wally blurt out. "I told him that he didn't deserve what that man did to him, and he started screaming at me and crying!" The way his voice sounded made it seem like he wasn't too far away from crying himself. Dick _scared_ him...

"I think you two should go," Bruce suggested, tone flat and leaving no room for argument.

"Right, right..." Barry sounded bothered by something. "Come on, Wally. Maybe you two can hang out some other time, after everything cools down."

"Y-Yeah..." Wally trailed off, sniffing. "Bye, Dick. Hope we can hang out again."

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, a gust of wind, and then silence. The two speedsters were gone.

"...Come here, Dick." Bruce was suddenly kneeling besides him, pulling him into an awkward hug. "Wanna tell me what you meant by all of that?" Dick shook his head, wiping his tears away with the back of his hand. "Normally I'd let you make your own decision, but I don't think I should leave this alone."

"...Please..." Dick squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want to see how Bruce would react when he told him the entire story. Bruce would _hate_ him, and then he would definitely want to get rid of him.

There was a sigh. "I guess you won't be able to handle talking about it right now, huh? I wouldn't want you to have another panic attack." He ruffled his hair, an action that made Dick instinctively freeze. But Bruce didn't seem to notice. "I'll let you calm down, but we _will_ be talking about this."

Dick nodded solemnly, ignoring the tightness in his chest. "..I understand." Together, he and Bruce stood, but his guardian kept a careful hand on his shoulder to prevent his shaky legs from giving out on him.

He really was pathetic, wasn't he?

"...I don't know what happened to make you believe that your parents' deaths were your fault-" Bruce squeezed his shoulder gently "-But you didn't deserve to do through what Zucco did to you, okay?"

Dick felt an argument forming on the tip of his tongue, but he refrained from saying anything. What was the point? Bruce would only continue trying to convince him that Tony was the one at fault, and Dick didn't want to hear it. He _knew_ that he deserved it, and he didn't need someone trying to convince him otherwise.

So instead he simply nodded, avoiding all eye contact so that Bruce wouldn't be able to spot his true emotions.

"Well, it's a start." Bruce removed his hand, but did not move away. His presence was somewhat comforting, and helped sooth Dick's agitation. "Would you want to contact Wally again after what happened today? It seemed like you two were getting along earlier."

"...No." Dick grimaced. Wally wouldn't want anything to do with him after he had a mental break down right in front of him. He couldn't blame the redhead if he was now completely terrified of him.

"Maybe you'll change your mind about that later." Bruce sighed, running a hand over his face. "I'm going to work downstairs for a few hours. Why don't you see if Alfred needs any help in the garden?"

Downstairs... He must have meant the Bat Cave. "Why can't I go with you?" He said with a small pout.

"You don't need to get involved in that sort of thing. It's too dangerous." Bruce gave him a stern look. "Besides, I'm only sending a few messages to the League members that know my identity; Barry thinks that I should tell them about you, and I agree. You'll just get bored down there."

"I won't," Dick protested, flabbergasted by the thought. Who could get bored while they were in the _Bat Cave_? "Please, Bruce? I promise I won't annoy you..."

"My answer is final," Bruce said, fixing him with a half-glare. Dick flinched immediately, and took a step away from him. He finally did it, he pushed Bruce's buttons too much, and now he was in trouble. Bruce saw his terrified expression, and his eyes softened. "Dick, don't-"

His words fell on deaf ears; Dick fled from the room as fast as he possibly could.

xXx

 **AN: That's it for now. The next chapter will pick up where this one left off. At this time, I would like to thank everyone that voted and/or commented on my last chapter. This story is becoming a lot more popular than I originally expected, and I hope that I will continue seeing these readers in the future. Thanks for sticking around, guys 3**

 **See you all next time!**


	7. Out of Luck

When Bruce finally made it to Dick's room, he wasn't too surprised when he found the door was locked. "Dick..." he groaned and pressed his forehead against the wooden door, marveling at his own stupidity. What was he thinking, snapping at Dick like that?! He was a traumatized child, not someone who should be under the burning gaze of a bat-glare. "Dick, please open the door. I'm sorry for how I acted, and I promise that I would never hurt you."

There was no response. Bruce couldn't even hear the sound of feet shuffling. He wasn't going to open the door, was he? Bruce sighed and lifted his arm to the top of the door frame, his fingers ghosting over the ledge until he found the key. "It's a good thing Alfred thought ahead," he mumbled as he fit the key through the slot, turning it to the left until he heard it click. He then tucked the key back onto the small ledge of the door frame and turned the knob, pushing the door open. "Dick, I-"

The window was open.

Bruce froze in the doorway, his hand glued to the door knob behind him as he stared at the open window. Dick wouldn't jump out of a window on the second story, would he? Somewhat fearful of the answer, Bruce darted towards the open window and stuck his head outside, immediately angling his head down. He expected to see his ward laying on the grass with a broken arm, or a snapped neck at the most, but there was no one there. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved by that or not. On one hand, Dick didn't recklessly jump out the window but on the other hand, Bruce had no idea where he was.

"Under the bed?" He mumbled to himself and knelt on the carpet, peering at the shadows under the bed. But again, there was no child to be seen. Bruce glanced over at the window again, frowning deeply. If he wasn't under the bed, and he wasn't outside... where was he?

His phone decided to go off at that moment, and he begrudgingly answered when he saw the caller ID. "What is it, Alfred?" He asked, trying to keep his voice level. Unless he could not find Dick on his own in the next fifteen minutes, there was no need to worry Alfred about it.

 _"Why on Earth is Master Dick on the roof?!"_

There went that idea...

"The roof?!" Bruce returned to the window and looked up this time, but Dick was not on the portion of the roof that he could see. "Dick and I had a misunderstanding, and he ran off. He must have somehow ended up on the roof..." He paused, blinking in confusion. How did Dick end up there when his door had been locked? "Hang on, I'll get him down in a minute. Make sure he doesn't..." he grimaced. "Jump, or anything."

 _"Of course,"_ Alfred's voice had risen slightly, like just the thought of Dick doing anything like that was enough to nearly send him into hysterics _. "Do hurry, Master Bruce. It's dangerous up there."_

"I know. Don't worry, I'll be there in a minute." Bruce hung up the phone and left the room at once, moving further down the hallway where he could open up the attic and climb inside. Ignoring the dust and cobwebs that have developed over time, Bruce opened up the hatch that led out to the roof, and lifted himself up. His hands scraped against the roof tile as he rose, but he did not care. He was completely focused on the raven haired boy that was sitting not too far away, his feet dangling off the edge of the roof.

"Dick..." The sound of his name made Dick turn his body to face him, and his eyes widened when he saw who was approaching. Bruce felt another jab of guilt when he saw the apprehensive and fearful look he was given. He really messed up, didn't he? "I'm not mad at you, okay? I'm sorry for acting like that, I didn't mean to scare you." He carefully maneuvered himself closer to the cowering child, wincing when he started to cry. "Don't-"

He took another step forward, and Dick scooted back, and Bruce felt his heart hammer in his chest as Dick fell backwards, his arms reaching out with wide eyes as he realized his mistake. Bruce let out an unintelligible cry as he lunged forward and barely managed to grab the falling boy by his wrists. Dick gasped as his fall was suddenly brought to a halt, and he threw his arms around Bruce the second he was brought back up to safety. "I'm s-sorry," he sobbed, shaking uncontrollably as he clung to the front of his guardian's shirt. "I d-didn't mean to!"

Bruce shook his head and pulled Dick further away from the ledge, his blood was still roaring in his veins, a new kind of adrenaline rush that he had not experienced before. He had been terrified for his own life plenty of times, but never had he felt this kind of pure terror. Not even the Joker managed to stir up this kind of reaction from him. "Dick, it's okay," he said quietly, but he sounded distant. "Let's get you back inside." He realized that Dick was too shaken up from his experience, so he decided to scoop him up while he climbed up to his feet. Dick sniffled and pressed his face against his shoulder, mumbling apologies like the world depended on it. Bruce only hugged him tighter in response, carefully maneuvering them into the attic and then down the steps into the hallway.

Dick didn't stop crying once, and Bruce didn't know how to calm him down, so he awkwardly rubbed his back as he carried him downstairs to the living room. There, he set the child on the nearest sofa and ruffled his hair. "It's okay now, you don't have to cry," he said softly, kneeling down in front of him. "I know that must have scared you, but you're safe now..."

"I almost f-fell..." Dick choked out, tears streaming down his face. "J-just like _them_."

Bruce didn't have to ask who 'they' were. It was obvious that he meant his parents... They died right in front of his eyes, of course he automatically thought of that after he nearly had a similar accident. "I'm sorry..." he breathed, now realizing that Dick wasn't as bothered by his own near death experience than the memories that it had brought him. "Do you want to talk about it?" He pressed gently.

"N-no..." he hiccupped, wiping away the tears on his cheek. "...I'm in a lot of trouble, aren't I?" He whispered, lip trembling.

Bruce shook his head. "For going onto the roof without telling me, but not for what happened earlier." He put both of his hands on Dick's shoulders, making sure he was paying close attention when he spoke. "What happened earlier was not your fault, it was mine... I became frustrated when you showed an interest in the Bat Cave because I don't want you to get involved in that. Batman had terrible enemies and if you get involved in my work, they become your enemies too. I just don't want you to get hurt." He sighed. "But that didn't mean I should have treated you like that. Will you forgive me?"

"..." Dick nodded, but still refused to meet his gaze. "I still don't understand..."

"Understand what?" Bruce echoed.

Dick fidgeted slightly. "Tony was my enemy and then he became yours... Why can't your enemies be mine too?" He looked frustrated. "You helped me, so I want to help you. A-And I want to help people who are like me and Wally. You do that, don't you? Why can't I?"

Bruce was taken aback by the explanation. He honestly should have seen this coming; Dick obviously would have wanted to do _something_ to help people who have been in situations similar to his. This wasn't just hero worship for Batman, Dick sincerely wanted to make a difference. And if Bruce completely distanced him from the hero community, he would not take it well. With or without Bruce's help, he _would_ find a way to be involved, wouldn't he? If Bruce simply allowed him to do some minor tasks in the Bat Cave, would that be enough to make him feel useful?

"I think I understand." He gave Dick a serious look, but made sure to keep it away from bordering a bat-glare. "If you want to be involved with this, then I will let you." Dick's eyes lit up, but Bruce quickly continued before he could get the wrong idea. "While you are in the Bat Cave at any time, you have to listen to what I say, and under no circumstances will you ever go into the field. Got it?"

Dick nodded, positively beaming at him. "Got it," he repeated, eyes shining happily. Bruce was relieved at the sight, glad that he finally managed to do something right. Taking care of Dick seemed to be one emotional roller coaster after another. It was somewhat exhausting... but he was glad to have him around. "Er, Bruce..."

"What is it?" Bruce asked at once, frowning slightly. He thought he had cheered him up, so what could have possibly changed in the past five seconds?

"I was just wondering what my punishment is," Dick mumbled, looking down at his feet. "F-for going onto the roof, I mean..."

Bruce paused. He _did_ say that he was in trouble for that, didn't he? He couldn't go back on his word now, Dick needed to know that he was serious about not doing dangerous stunts. But what would be a fair enough punishment? Definitely not something Zucco would do, that was for sure. "I can understand why you went onto the roof, so I'm not going to take anything away. I'll just send you to bed early for the next three days, okay?

"...That's it?" Dick slowly looked up at him, looking somewhat awed. "But I did something without your permission. Tony would have-"

"I'm not Zucco," Bruce reminded him before he could continue, not wanting to know _what_ Zucco would have done in this situation. "I need you to understand this, Zucco was a bad man. He shouldn't have laid a single finger on you at any point. He wasn't your guardian and even if he was, the punishments he gave you were cruel and would have landed him in prison anyways. I will never repeat his past actions, okay?"

"Okay," he said timidly. "Does this mean I can see the Bat Cave?" He asked, looking hopeful. Bruce inwardly winced at that expression; if Dick kept giving him that look, would he ever be able to say no to him?

"I don't see why not..." Bruce agreed, and Dick all but jumped out of his seat in his excitement. That managed to make Bruce smile just a bit. "I still have to call some Leaguers. I don't suppose you would like to meet them in person instead?"

"Yes!" Dick said immediately, pulling at Bruce's sleeve to make him stand up faster. Bruce chuckled lightly, amused by the childish antics. For a ten year old, Dick sure liked acting like he was eight. But that was probably because of the lack of opportunity to act like his age during the past two years...

Bruce's smile faltered, but he didn't let Dick notice. "Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and Green Arrow are the only ones who know my identity. Who do you want to meet first?"

Dick's excitement simmered down. "What about Superman?" He asked, frowning. "Doesn't he know your identity too?"

He _had_ to bring up Superman, didn't he? "He does know my identity. I must have forgotten to put him in the list," he lied, holding back an irritated scowl. Why Superman out of all people? "I guess that's who you want to meet, huh?"

"Yes please!" Dick chirped, grinning at him. "I saw him on the news while I lived with Tony. It was so cool that he could fly and shoot lasers out of his eyes!" His smile fell. "I knew he had super hearing so I used to call his name sometimes, s-so he could hear me and come save me..." His eyes filled with tears again, much to Bruce's alarm. "Tony heard me once, and said that Superman wouldn't save me because he doesn't like me, so I stopped trying."

At that moment, Bruce shoved away all of his bias against Superman. "He couldn't hear you because he was too far away. Even he has his limits." He pulled Dick into a one armed hug. "But now that he will finally meet you, I _know_ that he'll like you. He would be stupid if he didn't. Black Canary and Flash liked you, didn't they?"

Dick nodded, blinking back the water in his eyes. "Yeah..." he trailed off, peering up at Bruce with an unreadable expression. "Do you like me too?"

"Of course I do." Bruce poked his side, earning himself a giggle. "Why wouldn't I? While I would love it if you opened up to me more, I like having you around regardless. I don't regret adopting you, Dick. That was probably the best thing I have ever done."

"Really?" Dick beamed. "I-I like it here too. I'm glad you adopted me," he smiled shyly. "And I'll try to open up more... I-I can tell you about what happened to my parents, if you want."

"Only if you want to," Bruce told him, ruffling his hair. "But why don't we introduce you to Superman first? I think that will cheer you up."

Dick nodded. "It would." Before Bruce knew it, Dick attacked him with another hug. "Thank you..."

Bruce returned the hug without a second thought. "You don't have to thank me," he told him. _"I feel like I should be the one thanking_ _ **him**_ _. Why do I feel so happy? I don't remember ever feeling this cheerful, not since before my parents died."_ He looked down at Dick, and suddenly understood. _"I guess all I needed was a child in my life to make it seem less dark..."_

Maybe that's how his father had felt, a long time ago.

xXx (Later, Bat Cave) xXx

 **"Recognized: Superman, 01."**

Clark practically stumbled out of the Bat Cave's Zeta Tube, eyes wide as he searched for the Dark Knight. "Bruce, is everything okay?! I received your emergency notification-" he finally saw his teammate standing near the Bat Computer, and he sighed in relief. "You had me worry there, I thought you were dying or something." His gaze moved downwards until it landed on the small boy hidden behind Bruce, and he paused. "Um?"

"This is Dick Grayson," Bruce told him, tone flat. He took a step to the left so that the child had a better view of the other hero. "Dick, this is Superman, but the civilian world knows him as Clark Kent."

"Erm, hi?" Superman gave the kid a small wave, which was shyly returned before he returned to his hiding spot behind Bruce. "Uh... So I'm guessing this is the kid the media is so worked up about," he said awkwardly, not taking his eyes off of the child. He never would have imagined that the rumors were true; who would? It wasn't like Bruce had shown any sign of liking children before, so what changed? And why would Bruce ever tell some kid that he was secretly Batman? It made no sense.

"Correct, this is the boy I have decided to adopt as my ward," Bruce continuing staring at him with that steely gaze of his, but something about it seemed more intense than what Clark was used to. What did he do wrong this time?! "I called you here because he expressed that he wanted to meet you."

Clark was again taken aback by his actions. "You used the emergency alert system just so that I could meet your ward?"

"He wanted to meet you, and I arranged to introduce you at the earliest opportunity. The emergency system was the quickest way to gain your attention," he said plainly, as though he was simply stating facts.

Wow... that was admittedly adorable. Bruce did all of that just so that his kid got what he wanted? That must have been _some_ kid if Bruce spoiled him that much. "You certainly did get my attention, but I wish you had told me to wear civilian clothes." He smiled at Dick warmly. "It's a little awkward meeting people while you're in your hero uniform."

"I think it's c-cool," Dick stuttered, smiling nervously. Clark's gaze softened at this, remembering what he had read in the papers. This was the child that had been kidnapped and abused by his parents' killer, wasn't he? No wonder Bruce seemed oddly protective of him, the kid must be completely terrified right now.

"Thank you." Clark pointed at the symbol on his chest. "This symbol is my family crest, and it means a lot to me. It's a symbol of hope."

Dick nodded. "I know, Bruce told me a lot about you." He slowly came out of his hiding spot, peering up at him. "Your from the planet of Krypton, you have super strength, speed, hearing, heat vision, x-ray vision, and the power of flight." He grinned. "And Bruce told me that your weakness is Kryptonite!"

Clark mentally face palmed at that; of course Bruce would tell his ward that. Dick would end up knowing how to take down the entire Justice League if Bruce had anything to say about it, wouldn't he? The world didn't need another generation of paranoid bats... but Dick's obvious admiration for his guardian was admittedly cute. "That is right, I become very weak if I'm exposed to Kryptonite. So, um, don't try waving any in front of my face like Flash did."

Surprisingly, Dick's face became serious. "I can't promise anything; Bruce said that anything can happen and I need to be prepared." He cheered up a little. "He gave me some Kryptonite just in case."

Bruce saw the look Clark threw at him, and shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't need anything happening to him." His gaze seemed to darken. "But you would know better than to try anything, wouldn't you?"

Clark could barely stutter out an affirmative response. What did Bruce think he would do, kidnap his kid? He understood that he wasn't Bruce's favorite person, but what would possess him to think that he was a threat to his ward?

Well, one thing was for sure... If anyone ever dared to mess with Dick, they were _not_ going to have a good time. Bruce would make sure of that.

"Sorry to cut this meeting short, but I have to visit my mother soon," Clark smiled apologetically, throwing a hand out in Dick's direction. The child paused momentarily, but eventually came over to where he stood and shook his hand, beaming all the while. "It was nice to meet you, Dick. If it's okay with your guardian, maybe I can babysit you sometime. You know, to give Bruce and Alfred a break every once in a while?" He looked over at Bruce as he said this, who scowled at him.

"We'll see," he said shortly.

"Er, right." Clark quickly removed his hand, getting the memo. "I'll see you later then. Give me a call if you can."

"Actually, I need to talk to you about something. It will only take a second." Bruce looked at Dick. "Go upstairs and see if Alfred has any snacks for you. I'll be right up."

Dick nodded at once. "Okay." He gave Clark a short, cheerful wave before leaving, the sound of the clock door shutting echoing after him

"W-What did you want to talk to me about?" Clark asked, feeling somewhat nervous. Was it just him, or did Bruce seem pissed at him for some reason? Did he do something wrong while he was talking to Dick?

"On a scale of one to ten..." Bruce stepped closer to him, and Clark tensed up, prepared for some form of an attack. "...How much did I scare you?"

Clark stopped short, blinking. "What?" His brain finally processed what he had said, and he gave him one of his own half-glares. "You mean that you were acting like a dick this entire time just to scare me?!"

"I told Dick that everyone was terrified of Batman, and he didn't believe me when I said you were as well." He smirked, pleased with himself. "This exercise was just a way to prove that I was right. You should have _seen_ your expression when I told not to hurt Dick. Priceless."

Clark could only gape at him. Bruce being pissed off at him for no reason wasn't uncommon, but now he was okay with joking around? What kind of drugs was Alfred slipping into his coffee? "You must be serious about keeping this kid, huh? I've never seen you act like this."

"I wouldn't have adopted him if I wasn't serious about it," Bruce told him, his expression changing. "...And I was being serious when I warned you not to harm him. If there is _ever_ a day where you turn on me and you try hurting Dick as a way to get to me, there will be severe consequences." He narrowed his eyes. "And that threat extends to the entire JLA."

"Understood." Clark said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "But uh, you know I would never turn against you, right? And even if we did fight, I would never bring Dick into it."

Bruce rose his eyebrows. "I'll keep that in mind if the time ever comes where we battle." He reached an arm out to shake his hand, and Clark shook in firmly.

"I'm happy for you, by the way," he said, trying to change the subject to a happier one. "This kid brought out a side of you that I've never seen before." He smiled awkwardly. "And it's probably hard for you both, especially what's going on with Tony Zucco right now. I'm glad to see you aren't letting it bring you two down."

"...What's going on with Tony Zucco?" Bruce asked suddenly, eyes narrowing. "He's behind bars."

Clark's eyes widened when he realized; they didn't know. "I, um, thought you would have been the first to know. I mean it was only announced this morning, but I figured you would have been keeping track of what's going on in his case."

"I was preoccupied this morning," Bruce growled out, eyes flashing dangerously. "Now skip the stuttering and tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Tony Zucco has been approved for a retrial," Clark blurted out, not wanting to be a victim of another Kryptonite attack. "I-It's all over the news! The media is having a field day because of how the case is connected to you. I'm surprised the press hasn't swarmed your house yet!"

Bruce stared at him for a long moment, his expression slowly darkening. "How is this possible?!" He hissed, grabbing Clark by the front of his uniform. "How the hell did he manage to get approved for a retrial?!"

"I don't know!" Clark said quickly, grabbing him by the wrist and pulling him away before he completely snapped. "The press hasn't been told why he was approved, but several journalists have theorized that there wasn't enough evidence to land him in prison for anything-"

"Not enough evidence?!" Bruce snapped, teeth bared in a ferocious manner. "Dick had enough scars, burns, and cuts to send that bastard behind bars for _decades_. Add the murder charge on top of that, and he should be in prison for life!"

"I understand why you're angry, but screaming at me isn't going to do anything," Clark said calmly, trying to make Bruce see reason before he did anything he would regret. "Look, let me do some investigating, I can always see my mother another time."

"I can investigate this by myself, Kent," Bruce growled, stomping towards the case that held his suit and gear. "I don't need any metas trying to boss me around."

The word 'meta' was spat with such a distasteful tone, but Clark knew he didn't mean it. "You're emotionally compromised, and I don't want you running out there to do something reckless." He put a hand on his shoulder, hiding his relief when it wasn't automatically shrugged away. "You need to talk to Dick and tell him what's going on, or he'll end up finding it on the news on his own and he'll probably panic. Dick is your priority, right?"

Bruce's nostrils flared as he finally yanked himself free of Clark's grasp. "I want you to report what you find as soon as you learn anything, understand?"

"Understood," Clark said softly, and began to hover over the ground as he prepared to take flight. "I'm sorry you had to find out about Zucco like this, I didn't know that you weren't already aware of the situation."

"Just go, Clark," Bruce said tiredly, waving a dismissive hand. "Come into the Manor in your civilian clothes when you decide to come back. I have a feeling that Dick won't be leaving my side anytime soon, and he'll want to hear what you've found."

"Right... Good luck, Bruce." Clark gave him a fleeting smile before taking off, flying out of the exit that was designed for the Batmobile so that it would take less time to enter Gotham City. "That poor kid," he mumbled as he navigated through the air, wondering why the universe seemed to be out to get Dick Grayson.

xXx

 **AN: Thanks for your amazing reviews from last chapter! See you next time (if finals don't kill me before then). Later!**


	8. Chapter 8

Dick happily munched on the cheese and crackers that Alfred had provided him, watching an unknown kid's cartoon while he waited for Bruce to return from the Bat Cave. While he had wanted to stay behind to see how Clark reacted when he found out that Bruce was only pretending to be scary, he obeyed when Bruce told him to leave. He _did_ say that he would listen to him whenever he went down to the Cave, and Dick had no desire to see what would happen if he actually managed to anger Bruce by not listening. Still... He wished he could have at least said goodbye to Superman.

After a few minutes of watching the poorly animated characters fight each other to the death, Dick heard the sound of footsteps approaching the living room, and he turned his head towards the doorway just in time to see Bruce walk in. A grin immediately appeared on his face as he picked himself off of the floor. "How did he react?" He asked at once, expecting to see a similar mischievous grin on his guardian's face, and was taken aback when he noticed a weary expression instead. Dick found that his own smile immediately fell to mimic's Bruce's expression, a feeling of dread hanging over his shoulders. "Did...something happen?" He asked warily, mind going back to the events that took place in the Bat Cave. Did Clark take their prank badly? Was that it?

No, there had to be more to it. Dick could tell just by watching Bruce's face twist into something that reflected a serious level of anguish. Just seeing that kind of expression on his guardian's face made a jolt of fear go down Dick's spine, and his jaw snapped closed as he awaited Bruce's response, falling back into a familiar and comforting silence. He _knew_ that Bruce was about to tell him some very _bad_ news... "Dick, why don't you sit down?" Bruce said gently, and walked forward a couple of feet to guide his ward to the nearest couch, where Dick wordlessly sat down. He only stared up at his guardian, his dread growing with every passing second as he wondered what could possibly be wrong. Did it have to do with Batman? "Clark and I were talking about you. He seemed to be curious about my intentions for adopting you as my ward. Eventually, he brought something extremely important to my attention, something that somehow escaped my attention before now." He seemed to want to look away, but he forced himself to hold eye contact with Dick. "...Dick, Tony Zucco has been approved for a retrial."

At first, Dick felt nothing. A cold feeling of numbness settled over his bones, and everything seemed to freeze in place in front of his very eyes. Tony was... He was going to... "What..." Dick said, his voice barely over a whisper. Shock paralyzed his body, preventing him from doing anything more than stare at Bruce, but it felt like he wasn't really seeing him. He was just... staring, trying to find the answer to some unspoken question that he didn't even have the energy to think of.

"It's okay, it's okay." Dick felt the couch sip besides him as Bruce sat himself on the cushion next to his. "Clark already agreed to investigate and see if there's a way to stop Zucco from being retried. If there isn't, I will do everything in my power to ensure that he won't be released. He won't be able to come after you ever again, I promise." A hand was gently placed on his shoulder and Dick nodded numbly in response, though he wasn't sure if he completely comprehended anything that was going on at the time. That numb feeling in his bones produced a fog that enveloped his mind, preventing him from being able to focus on his surroundings. "I have to tell Alfred what's going on. Stay here, I'll be right back."

Without thinking, Dick grabbed Bruce by the sleeve before the man was able to leave, eyes instantly filling themselves with tears. He couldn't be left alone, not with... not with _this_ happening.

Realization hit him like a train wreck, and his grip on Bruce's sleeve loosened when the shock finally wore off. Tony was approved for a retrial... _Tony was going to be let out of prison._ He would hunt Dick down. He would find out that he had spoken without his permission. He would _kill_ him.

"Dick?" Bruce gently shook his shoulders, and Dick finally realized that his guardian had been calling his name for the past minute without him noticing. "Don't worry about Zucco, there is no possible way of him being able to hurt you. I will make sure of it."

Dick shook his head in response, quickly backing out of his guardian's reach. Bruce didn't know what he was talking about. Tony _always_ got what he wanted, and if he wanted to hunt Dick down and prevent him from saying anything more than he already did, then Dick would be dead within a week of Tony's release. And he would try to take down Bruce and Alfred if they put themselves in his way...

Dick had to leave before anyone else got hurt.

"I know that expression..." Bruce said, observing his actions from the other side of the couch. "That's the expression of someone who's afraid that the people they care about will be put into danger because of them." Bruce grimaced. "I've seen that look plenty of times, and I've probably worn that same expression on a few occasions. But let me tell you something..." He stood up, moving closer to Dick. "You don't have to worry about us. Alfred and I can take care of ourselves. We would never let anything happen to a single person in this house, and that includes each other and ourselves. Zucco would never be able to hurt any of us."

Dick's vision became blurry with tears. "Y-You don't know him like I do. He'll kill me... he'll k-kill everyone I care about. I don't want you and Alfred to get hurt."

"...Remember that cape I gave you?" Bruce suddenly asked, startling Dick with the random subject change, but he still nodded in response. "I said that if anyone tries to take that away from you, they would have to answer to me." His eyes hardened. "It didn't slip my notice that you don't have it anymore, and the person who took it _did_ face the wrath of Batman. And now, I'm going to extend that threat; if there is ever a time where someone tries to take you away from me, they will have hell to pay."

For some odd reason, that cheered Dick up a little. "Thank you, Bruce..." He whispered, and was immediately pulled into a strong hug by his guardian.

And despite the looming threat of Tony 's return hanging over his shoulders, Dick felt safe.

xXx

 **AN: Yeah I know, this is really short. But you guys have to understand that I actually don't have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. It was either this short filler chapter or nothing at all, and I think the majority of you lovely readers would prefer something over nothing.**

 **Welp, see you next time.**


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